Aretha is dead. Well, she lived, by all accounts, a good life, and, ;like all of us, she is now gone on to a new adventure. She was massively talented. Her style of music was not my favorite, but there is no denying her talent.
But, as I'm sure you have guessed, is not what this post is about. I have long been fascinated, in a weird sort of way, by our cultures obsession with celebrity death. Every time a famous entertainer or sports star dies, we almost declare a National state of mourning, Albums, films, books, whatever they were noted for, start selling at a huge rate. The TV news networks covered the story all day and are back on it today. People who never knew these folks become almost distraught. Those who barely knew them crawl out of the woodwork to get their little bit of attention.
We have a morbid obsession with death and almost use these occasions to indulge in a sort of celebration of death. Certainly death is not to be feared, but I was taught that a passing was to be a quiet affair, noted and attended bu family and friends.
Why is it a sadder day when a celebrity dies than when someone's aunt or vest friend dies. I mourn the passing of loved ones, not folks I never met. If I liked their work, well I still have their works to enjoy. But, again and again we go through this absurd mourning of celebritie. We saw it with Ptince, Whitney Houston, Mohammad Ali and countless others.
Celebrate life, and. every day celebrate those you love. When someone dies, note their passing, then celebrate their life. Now, I', going to end this rambling post. Another Aretha song kust came on the news and I think I need to fet out among the living. Rest well Aretha. You deserve it. The rest of you, get out there and get busy.
Showing posts with label celebrity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celebrity. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2018
Thursday, May 12, 2016
America's Celebrity Death Cult Again Rears Its Ugly Head
Let me start by saying that I was not a fan of Prince. He was a darn good guitar player, but I just did not like the rest of his act. As far as his addiction, well, what can anyone say? Yeah, it is a shame. I know a bit about chronic pain and I can sympathize with anyone trying to seek relief. Unfortunately, opioids are about the most effective pain killers. I have no good answers to the problem.
I have heard that surgery would have solved his hip problems and that his interpretation of his Jehovah's Witness beliefs kept him from surgery. Again, I know little of those beliefs, but, if that is true, then it shows the need to find spirituality that bases itself on rationality. I am quite convinced that our Creator does not want us needlessly suffering when, by using these huge brains we have, we can relieve physical pain. But, again, each person is entitled to their own beliefs and must live with the consequences of those beliefs.
What galls me, what infuriates me, is the attention these issues get when a celebrity dies. Why is the death of Prince more of a tragedy that the death of some kid who ODs? Why is his addiction so worthy of notice when, for years now, many have suffered through addiction. Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, teachers, businessmen and women, nurses, all sorts of folks have struggled with this National scourge. Now, CNN has Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta doing specials and the media everywhere are wailing and bemoaning this problem.
Why is there the current crisis of addiction? Well, a few tears back, doctors, at the urging of pharmaceutical companies started prescribing Oxycontin at an alarming rate, claiming that this new drug posed little risk of addiction, at most a 1 in a 100 chance. In fact, this was not a new drug. It was created by the Germans on the 1940s when it was known as Eukodol and was known then to be brutally addictive. Yes, folks, at the risk of upsetting the naïve among you, I will say that your Government cooperated with big Pharma in a lie.
Then, the oddest thing happened. We went to war in Afghanistan and the Taliban, which had stopped opium production, started growing it again, growing huge crops and cheap heroin flooded the US. At about the same time, doctors began saying . oh, oh, we have to stop prescribing pain pills, they are addictive and this has resulted in Grannies and Moms having to go out and score Heroin to feed their habits. This is an old story. During Vietnam, the CIA was running opium from Indo China and during the Iran Contra fiasco, the same CIA was funding that mess by bringing in tons of cocaine. Some powerful folks, some with Government connections are making huge money off human frailty.
This goes on and on and no notice is paid by the media until some celebrity ODs, then they go into a feeding frenzy and Government officials start promising action. Then, the novelty wears off and it's back to business. The only purpose is a temporary distraction from real problems. That is why celebrity deaths are so played up and the public just nods its head and sheds a few mock tears and awaits the next death notice. We have become a Celebrity Death Cult and this needs to stop.
I have heard that surgery would have solved his hip problems and that his interpretation of his Jehovah's Witness beliefs kept him from surgery. Again, I know little of those beliefs, but, if that is true, then it shows the need to find spirituality that bases itself on rationality. I am quite convinced that our Creator does not want us needlessly suffering when, by using these huge brains we have, we can relieve physical pain. But, again, each person is entitled to their own beliefs and must live with the consequences of those beliefs.
What galls me, what infuriates me, is the attention these issues get when a celebrity dies. Why is the death of Prince more of a tragedy that the death of some kid who ODs? Why is his addiction so worthy of notice when, for years now, many have suffered through addiction. Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, teachers, businessmen and women, nurses, all sorts of folks have struggled with this National scourge. Now, CNN has Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta doing specials and the media everywhere are wailing and bemoaning this problem.
Why is there the current crisis of addiction? Well, a few tears back, doctors, at the urging of pharmaceutical companies started prescribing Oxycontin at an alarming rate, claiming that this new drug posed little risk of addiction, at most a 1 in a 100 chance. In fact, this was not a new drug. It was created by the Germans on the 1940s when it was known as Eukodol and was known then to be brutally addictive. Yes, folks, at the risk of upsetting the naïve among you, I will say that your Government cooperated with big Pharma in a lie.
Then, the oddest thing happened. We went to war in Afghanistan and the Taliban, which had stopped opium production, started growing it again, growing huge crops and cheap heroin flooded the US. At about the same time, doctors began saying . oh, oh, we have to stop prescribing pain pills, they are addictive and this has resulted in Grannies and Moms having to go out and score Heroin to feed their habits. This is an old story. During Vietnam, the CIA was running opium from Indo China and during the Iran Contra fiasco, the same CIA was funding that mess by bringing in tons of cocaine. Some powerful folks, some with Government connections are making huge money off human frailty.
This goes on and on and no notice is paid by the media until some celebrity ODs, then they go into a feeding frenzy and Government officials start promising action. Then, the novelty wears off and it's back to business. The only purpose is a temporary distraction from real problems. That is why celebrity deaths are so played up and the public just nods its head and sheds a few mock tears and awaits the next death notice. We have become a Celebrity Death Cult and this needs to stop.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
America, Golf and Celebrities
I would again like to mention the way we treat celebrities. I am not a follower of pop entertainers or TV stars, nor do I follow a lot of sports, but, as I have written, I do watch professional golf. The recent Masters triggered this post.
Jordan Speith is currently the number 2 ranked player in the World. At the age of 22, he has 7 wins, 2 of them majors. In his last 5 majors, he has 2 wins, 2 seconds, and a 4th. That is far better than most golfers do in their entire careers.
Since he came on the scene, he has been the focus of way too much attention and since his 1st Masters win, it has gotten out of hand. Yes, he is a brilliant young golfer but the key word is young. He is still learning the game. His accomplishments are great, but he likely will get better. But, he will not be brilliant on every shot, in every round, in every tournament. Yet, analysts seem to grow hysterical when he flubs a shot.
Being young, he has not yet learned to say 'no.' He seems to be available for every possible interview, has hustled around to countless TV appearances, and has kept up an unsustainable schedule of play. He has to learn that he does not have to accommodate everyone. All of us, even 22 year-olds, need some rest and time to ourselves. Add to a hectic schedule, the pressure to not just play well, but to play brilliantly and win everything. and something has to give. At the recent Masters, it did.
During a week when he was not at his best, Jordan was pushed and interrogated by the media. He managed to stay in the lead by sheer determination, until finally, on the 12th hole of the last round, the wheels fell off. He looked burnt out and showed it by making a bad choice on the tee and chunking his next shot. It happens to everyone, but, the media seemed to go into near weeping hysteria at the turn of events. Now, Jordan will be pushed to be brilliant his next time out, or all will bemoan his fall from golfing greatness.
Speith seems to be a very decent, down to Earth young man, but, if he is not careful, he could be eaten up by the celebrity machine of the media. To them, he is a commodity, and if they think he has fallen off his game, they will dump him. That would not be a bad thing. In fact, it may be the best thing that could happen to him, because the pressure would be off, but some people fall in love with fame and react very badly when it diminishes. Hopefully, Speith can remain level headed.
The golf media wants another Tiger Woods and they will not get one, not for a long time if ever. He was that good and how he stood up to the pressure and stayed that consistent is beyond me. The current lot of young players, Jordan, Ricky Fowler, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and the rest are fine players but none is Tiger. Yet watch the golf announcers. Whoever wins is suddenly heralded as the next greatest ever, until they have bad week, the they laud someone else. All of that is symptomatic of the publics lust for celebrities. It is a cultural disease and the players need to find a way to keep centered and opt out of the celebrity game. Our culture eats celebrities alive and spits out the remains when the next hot thing comes along.
Jordan Speith is currently the number 2 ranked player in the World. At the age of 22, he has 7 wins, 2 of them majors. In his last 5 majors, he has 2 wins, 2 seconds, and a 4th. That is far better than most golfers do in their entire careers.
Since he came on the scene, he has been the focus of way too much attention and since his 1st Masters win, it has gotten out of hand. Yes, he is a brilliant young golfer but the key word is young. He is still learning the game. His accomplishments are great, but he likely will get better. But, he will not be brilliant on every shot, in every round, in every tournament. Yet, analysts seem to grow hysterical when he flubs a shot.
Being young, he has not yet learned to say 'no.' He seems to be available for every possible interview, has hustled around to countless TV appearances, and has kept up an unsustainable schedule of play. He has to learn that he does not have to accommodate everyone. All of us, even 22 year-olds, need some rest and time to ourselves. Add to a hectic schedule, the pressure to not just play well, but to play brilliantly and win everything. and something has to give. At the recent Masters, it did.
During a week when he was not at his best, Jordan was pushed and interrogated by the media. He managed to stay in the lead by sheer determination, until finally, on the 12th hole of the last round, the wheels fell off. He looked burnt out and showed it by making a bad choice on the tee and chunking his next shot. It happens to everyone, but, the media seemed to go into near weeping hysteria at the turn of events. Now, Jordan will be pushed to be brilliant his next time out, or all will bemoan his fall from golfing greatness.
Speith seems to be a very decent, down to Earth young man, but, if he is not careful, he could be eaten up by the celebrity machine of the media. To them, he is a commodity, and if they think he has fallen off his game, they will dump him. That would not be a bad thing. In fact, it may be the best thing that could happen to him, because the pressure would be off, but some people fall in love with fame and react very badly when it diminishes. Hopefully, Speith can remain level headed.
The golf media wants another Tiger Woods and they will not get one, not for a long time if ever. He was that good and how he stood up to the pressure and stayed that consistent is beyond me. The current lot of young players, Jordan, Ricky Fowler, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and the rest are fine players but none is Tiger. Yet watch the golf announcers. Whoever wins is suddenly heralded as the next greatest ever, until they have bad week, the they laud someone else. All of that is symptomatic of the publics lust for celebrities. It is a cultural disease and the players need to find a way to keep centered and opt out of the celebrity game. Our culture eats celebrities alive and spits out the remains when the next hot thing comes along.
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