So many people are obsessed with celebrity culture, and it is a phenomenon whose appeal I simply cannot understand. If I open a newspaper, I want to be confronted with articles on politics and both national and international events. I want news, and I want analysis of that news. What I could really rather do without, meanwhile, is a feature on Emmerdale ‘stars’ or what a member of Little Mix has had for breakfast.
But maybe that’s just me. You only need to look at the proliferation of ‘women’s weekly’ magazines and the fact that the Daily Mirror was named ‘Newspaper of the Year’ to see that there is indeed an appetite for showbiz. Perhaps it’s because our daily lives are so mundane, it’s refreshing to read about the purportedly more glamorous goings-on of the rich and famous?
Of course, that idea works the other way, too. Much like social media, celebrity culture can lead us into a faux-world in which everybody is happy, healthy, wealthy and sports blemish-free skin. “Oh look, Dorothy, so-and-so has joined the cast of Corrie and is now driving around in a Land Rover Discovery, having launched their own fashion line”. Stuff like that can easily make one question one’s own life and consequent comparisons shine a light over one’s perceived shortcomings.
Maybe the public are just nosey, and enjoy gossiping about the lives of people they will never even meet. I come from a close knit community, which has its benefits, but it’s impossible to do anything without somebody knowing about it. Frankly, if people want to gossip about me, go ahead; another unlucky soul will be on the receiving end in a few days’ time. What’s that saying about small minds discussing people?
One of the consequences of living with a chronic anxiety disorder is that I spend a disproportionate amount of time at home. Yet I will try and keep myself occupied as best I can by partaking in simple but pleasurable activities like reading, journaling, doing crosswords and listening to music. What I will not do is switch on my television during the daytime, for the proliferation of (technical term incoming) shite that masquerades as television is truly shocking. But if other people didn’t waste their time watching This Morning, then the show would not clean-up at awards ceremonies in the way it does.
Here’s another thought: when your brain is filled with the activities of celebrities, what do you do with that information? Tell it to your friends down at the bingo? It seems to me like a complete waste of brain space.
Heaven’s above, man - stimulate your grey matter with political analysis and economic commentary, not Philip Schofield.
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