Celebrity news. A subject that so many people pay attention to, almost to a fanatical state. I've never seen something so mind-boggling in my life; how some people can get so emotionally and mentally invested in the antics of their favorite movie and television stars while, in some cases, push their own problems aside is completely beyond me.
And for some reason or another, whether it's simply because we're a very social society or something deeper, we generally focus on the negative, usually outlandish behavior of said celebrities.
Take Charlie Sheen, for example.
Up until his breakdown and bizzarre interview a couple weeks ago where he ignominiously stated that he had "tiger's blood," was a descendant of Adonis, and was "bi-winning, not bi-polar," Sheen was nothing more than that one guy on Two and a Half Men. We didn't really pay any attention to him. I mean, I could barely stomach an episode of Two and a Half Men, and I had seen him once or twice in a passing movie or television show. However, since his episode, he's been all over the news, the internet culture has eaten up the hysteria by turning the interviews into a song, and I've seen handfuls of people sporting trendy t-shirts that have some quote from Sheen, whether it's his newly trademarked phrase "WINNING" or something along those lines.
Thanks to the surge of publicity, Sheen has decided to take his nigh-surreal rants and raves on tour. Needless to say, because of the craze, the show sold out almost immediately.
I'll admit, I made the pitfall of following the craze for a couple of days, but then it dawned upon me: this guy has problems. Serious, serious problems.
That being said, this whole thing begs the question of whether or not his actions are legitimate and he is in dire need of psychological help or if the whole thing is just an act and the man is sick and tired of living in the alienated corner of our brain as "that one guy from Two and a Half Men."
Sadly, celebrity news is a vicious cycle. As long as people continue to be in the spotlight, people will still follow it, and I've come up with a few reasons why:
1. It's a distraction. The world is going to hell in a handbasket. The economy is in the shitter, almost 10,000 people are missing or dead in Japan, the Gulf of Mexico is still recovering from the BP debacle (one thing I absolutely love to see is celebrities get involved with major world issues. James Cameron's aid was requested during the oil situation. I guess whoever was in charge of correcting the issue figured his ego would fit perfectly in the hole), and unemployment is on the rise. Hell, even our sports aren't without their issues; players in the the NFL draft may not show up due to disagreements with the management. What better way to entertain yourself than watch some dumbass celebrity make a fool of themselves on national television?
2. It's a reminder that even the pretty, pretty people that we invite into our homes on a nightly basis on our televisions and computers have problems, just like us. Not everything is perfect, or at bare minimum, looks as perfect in their lives. With that, take a look at Disney sweetheart Miley Cyrus. She just turned 18, which is news in and of itself. Thanks to the posturing from Disney, Cyrus became the poster child for the 10-16 demo, providing these kids with a positive, albeit annoying, message in her television show. However, this all come to a crashing halt when one night, she experimented with Salvia, a legal hallucinogenic substance, and was recorded doing so. Little Miley was practically ruined overnight.
3. There's a sick part in the human (or at bare minimum, the American) psyche that somewhat enjoys watching people "above" us fall from grace. It goes without saying that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. With that in mind, we see these falls and think to ourselves, "At least I'm not that bad." We then use that as a social barometer to justify our actions, knowing that somewhere out there, someone who was in the limelight has done worse and that at least we're not being recorded doing it. I refer to none other than the Jersey Shore for this, and perhaps this is the plight of most, if not all, reality television shows: it takes average, everyday people and leaves them starstruck, resulting in them doing very, very, very stupid things.
Whatever your reasons are, there's nothing terribly wrong with following celebrity news and happenings. The worse that'll happen is that you lose a few hours of your life and you have a t-shirt with a celebrity quote languishing in your closet a few months down the road.
Showing posts with label bp oil spill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bp oil spill. Show all posts
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
2010 can go die in a fire
My goodness, I haven't seen such a bad year, and on so many different levels.
Now, this might look like I'm starting this year pissed off and unwilling to let things go. However, I'm looking forward to what 2011 has to offer and the potential it has in comparison to the completely shit-tacular year that was 2010.
Let me give you the rundown of why 2010 can go die in the aforementioned fire:
-I think that this first point may be fairly obvious if you're from Flint or the Flint area, but we had 486 fires in the city of Flint, not to mention the many lay-offs that occurred in both police and fire. It got to the point where other cities in Genesee county refused to honor the agreement that was set up between them which called for other departments dispatching firefighters to neighboring cities unless there was a firefighter down because there were so many fires.
-Relating to Flint, we have broken our own record for number of homicides, reaching 62 as of 12-13-10; the previous record being 61 in 1986. Sure, a larger police force doesn't decrease the crime rate, but it sure as hell gives the citizens of Flint the peace of mind that when they call the police, they will actually show up. Sometimes in a timely fashion. Well done, Flint. Pat yourself on the back. Oh wait, you're too busy trying to find a place to put a knife
-The BP oil spill that occurred in 2010 left the gulf coast in America tainted and ruined for who knows how many years to come, and BP has little to show for the spill and relief. Not to mention that for some reason or another, they were bringing in celebrities to brainstorm ideas as to how to plug the leak. Probably the most laughable instance of that is none other than James Cameron. I suppose that they figured that his ego would be more than enough to do the trick.
-In a word, Wikileaks. Similar to how the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 shattered our sense of physical security, the classified documents that were divulged on Julian Assange's website made us that much more reluctant and less trustworthy of both the internet, ourselves, and each other. I can recall seeing an e-mail in my Army mailbox telling me not to go to Wikileaks and that doing so was a breach of national security.
-There's a saying that a soldier's worst nightmare is being in a political situation. Gen. McChrystal not only proved this point, but took it a step further by not locking down his staff and being less than diplomatic in the infamous article known as "The Runaway General" towards the current administration's policies and America's allies. While not necessarily a negative portrayal of McChrystal, it showed a side of a high-ranking officer not usually seen by the civilian populace: the more rough around the edges soldier mentality.
-The earthquake in Haiti compounded the already hopeless squalor that was the current state and made it worse by destroying buildings, land, and the very lives of the people who lived there. The small island government is still reeling from the devastating quake that ravaged the land. It's usually common practice for journalists to not get involved in the surrounding events, but during Anderson Cooper's report from Haiti on his show, AC360, Cooper actually broke out of that impartiality to help a child who was hit by a rock to safety. Hat's off to you, Anderson. Journalists are people, too.
-The Jersey Shore. Need I say more?
-Student riots in England may be the prelude to the end of the European welfare states. As many English officials have pointed out, violent people (such as the group who torched the royal Rolls-Royce that contained the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla) are injecting themselves into the groups of peaceful protestors who are calling out the rise in tuition rates of higher education.
There are more reasons why 2010 will go down as one of the worst years of the decade, but this is just naming a few.
Especially Jersey Shore.
And that's my view.
Now, this might look like I'm starting this year pissed off and unwilling to let things go. However, I'm looking forward to what 2011 has to offer and the potential it has in comparison to the completely shit-tacular year that was 2010.
Let me give you the rundown of why 2010 can go die in the aforementioned fire:
-I think that this first point may be fairly obvious if you're from Flint or the Flint area, but we had 486 fires in the city of Flint, not to mention the many lay-offs that occurred in both police and fire. It got to the point where other cities in Genesee county refused to honor the agreement that was set up between them which called for other departments dispatching firefighters to neighboring cities unless there was a firefighter down because there were so many fires.
-Relating to Flint, we have broken our own record for number of homicides, reaching 62 as of 12-13-10; the previous record being 61 in 1986. Sure, a larger police force doesn't decrease the crime rate, but it sure as hell gives the citizens of Flint the peace of mind that when they call the police, they will actually show up. Sometimes in a timely fashion. Well done, Flint. Pat yourself on the back. Oh wait, you're too busy trying to find a place to put a knife
-The BP oil spill that occurred in 2010 left the gulf coast in America tainted and ruined for who knows how many years to come, and BP has little to show for the spill and relief. Not to mention that for some reason or another, they were bringing in celebrities to brainstorm ideas as to how to plug the leak. Probably the most laughable instance of that is none other than James Cameron. I suppose that they figured that his ego would be more than enough to do the trick.
-In a word, Wikileaks. Similar to how the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 shattered our sense of physical security, the classified documents that were divulged on Julian Assange's website made us that much more reluctant and less trustworthy of both the internet, ourselves, and each other. I can recall seeing an e-mail in my Army mailbox telling me not to go to Wikileaks and that doing so was a breach of national security.
-There's a saying that a soldier's worst nightmare is being in a political situation. Gen. McChrystal not only proved this point, but took it a step further by not locking down his staff and being less than diplomatic in the infamous article known as "The Runaway General" towards the current administration's policies and America's allies. While not necessarily a negative portrayal of McChrystal, it showed a side of a high-ranking officer not usually seen by the civilian populace: the more rough around the edges soldier mentality.
-The earthquake in Haiti compounded the already hopeless squalor that was the current state and made it worse by destroying buildings, land, and the very lives of the people who lived there. The small island government is still reeling from the devastating quake that ravaged the land. It's usually common practice for journalists to not get involved in the surrounding events, but during Anderson Cooper's report from Haiti on his show, AC360, Cooper actually broke out of that impartiality to help a child who was hit by a rock to safety. Hat's off to you, Anderson. Journalists are people, too.
-The Jersey Shore. Need I say more?
-Student riots in England may be the prelude to the end of the European welfare states. As many English officials have pointed out, violent people (such as the group who torched the royal Rolls-Royce that contained the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla) are injecting themselves into the groups of peaceful protestors who are calling out the rise in tuition rates of higher education.
There are more reasons why 2010 will go down as one of the worst years of the decade, but this is just naming a few.
Especially Jersey Shore.
And that's my view.
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