- My bud Svedi Pie posted on her blog yesterday about how she isn't really sad Michael Jackson died because of the whole child-molestation-controversy thing.
- On the flipside, a lot of people on Facebook have been posting, "it doesn't matter about his personal life, you can't argue that he was the King of Pop and so it's a sad day."
I imagine a lot of you have jobs, and you know people at work. Sometimes you are friends, if you have things in common or you get together after work, but sometimes you're not and all that matters is how well they do their jobs.
So put it in the perspective of celebrities. Maybe Angelina Jolie makes blockbuster movies. Maybe Kanye West makes #1 hip-hop hits. Maybe Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. I think it's obvious that they are good at their jobs.
But Angelina Jolie either flirted with or chased or wanted a married man, and he divorced his wife because of her -- something I don't agree with. And Kanye West has come out publicly that he supports and loves and is addicted to internet pornography -- something I don't agree with. And Michael Jackson had a shady personal life and was accused of child molestation (although everyone should remember a jury of his peers acquitted him on all counts) -- something I don't agree with.
So what matters? Just how well celebrities do their jobs? Or their personal lives, too? I'd like to think that my friends at work are good people, but the truth is I don't know their personal opinions on everything. And even if we don't see eye to eye in regards to religion, politics, sports teams, hobbies, whatever, they do a good job, right?
Yet, with celebrities, the public in general is fascinated by the personal lives of people who arguably "do a good job." I'll admit, I love celebrity gossip. I guess I like being reassured that the celebrities I love are also "good people," and if I find out they're not, I like them a little bit less. But in the workplace, I'm not allowed to let that bother me. If a boss can't fire someone for being homosexual or atheist, why would I write off an actor or musician for being that way?
I don't know the answer. I guess we as a public aren't ready to treat celebrities the same way we treat our co-workers. If we were, People magazine, TMZ.com, and Barbara Walters wouldn't be so popular. But they are popular, and it proves that we as a public want the whole package when it comes to celebrities. And if so, if that is what we want and thrive on, then we can't "ignore" the other stuff. Is that wrong? Is that double standard for public figures? Definitely. But maybe they "deserve it" for being so dang popular?
Anyway, just like anyone else I'll take a moment this Halloween and play Thriller and be mindful of the departed. But I still don't like Kanye West.
2 comments:
Wow, what an interesting post. My opinion on the matter is multi-faceted.
#1. The private lives of celebrities and public figures wouldn't matter so much to me if we didn't put them up on posts as the most amazing people EVER. The TV Show American Idol pretty much describes what pop culture does with celebrities-idolize them. Like you said, People, TMZ.com, etc., make a living telling us about this elite class of people.
#2. By being a public figure you should feel some sort of responsibility to be a GOOD public figure. Also, we as society show what values we uphold by what public figures we promote as being more popular.
#3. I think we definitely can't 'ignore' the other stuff. Remember the whole issue with Bill Clinton? What a shame that so many people didn't think it a big deal that the leader of our country was having an affair! 'He's doing a good job, what does it matter?' many people would say.
But where's the line to be drawn you might ask? Should we not go to see Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movies? Do we need to do our research and only listen to songs by people who live good lives and see movies that star actors who live good standards?
I don't know. Perhaps in the end by living the way the Lord wants us to, that is what we should do. Unfortunately, as Elder Maxwell said, I think I still have a summer cottage in Babylon. I hear Daniel Radcliff was in a not so good movie recently and I for one am SO excited to see Harry Potter 6.
I DO know that we should choose carefully our role models, based on what types of lives they live not based on how much money they have, how many hit songs they have, or how many popular movies they've starred in. I hope my ramblings made some sense.
That's a tough one. On the one hand, I look at MJ and think, "such a shame that he was so messed up but he sure was an amazing performer." On the other hand, I never enjoyed another Hugh Grant performance after the hooker incident. Ugh. I can't stand the deification of movie stars (esp when the stars themselves seem to feel they can pass down judgement from "on high" about things they really don't know anything about). I mostly have a live-and-let-live attitude but if they put it up in my face then it will affect my feelings about them (just like it would if I found out my neighbor had a major porn problem). A good test is to imagine the person is really your neighbor and react accordingly. They aren't demigods. They are actors. Their job is high profile, they are not any different from the rest of us. Clinton is in a different category, IMO. When I am trusting someone to lead the country and make major, life-changing decisions then it is a big deal to me if he's the sort of person who cannot keep his promises, who cannot be faithful to his wife. Being faithful to your spouse doesn't really affect whether or not you can give a good performance on screen. Conversely, being a good actor can help you be a more effective cheater... :)
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