Famous To Infamous: Waiter, Can I Please See The Menu?

Better check the news every hour. There is sure to be an update on the latest celebrity to succumb to addiction or otherwise showcase their self-destruction. The details are usually salacious and the drama rivals the cheapest pulp fiction novel.

And make no mistake about it, you and I are contributing to their self destruction.

I think we first go through shock, then to disbelief, and finally we become parasitic. We are really nothing more than mesmerized parasites in need of a host. In a sense we are victims too, moths attracted to the glow of the train wreck. The paparazzi and news outlets feed us and we are ravenous.

If there was no demand, there would be no story. The famous person who quickly becomes infamous can thank the public for contributing to both spectrums of their celebrity. There should be a sign and chain link fence at every public event, “Beware of Fan”. After all, the public is a very dangerous breed of animal.

We have all seen celebrities attack the paparazzi and news outlets, but those entities are really not their enemy. The paparazzi and news outlets are only providing a necessary function. They are merely a functional part of the social food chain. The celebrities feed on the public and the public feed on them. The waiters and waitresses of the news provide their services to both sides and we all need each other, for better and worse.

What is most interesting to me is the power shift. Celebrities wield a great deal of power over their fans and the public in general. True, this power is a very finite power and can change day to day, but those that become infamous (or whom have become famous because of their infamous actions) are generally powerless and subject to the whim of the public desire and appetite in a much more definitive way. One could argue that celebrities are always powerless and subject to the public desire and appetite, however, there is a big difference in being pointed at in awe or being pointed at in disgust. The paradigm shift is real and when the infatuation ends, so does their celebrity.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had the guilty pleasure of having a few Britney burgers, some Anna Nicole fries, and some Hilton shakes. But I suspect that my palate will soon want something fresh and new. In fact, I think that time is now. Waiter, can I please see a menu?