Do Not Call Me Dumb Because I Find Celebrities Interesting
I was having a conversation with a friend over some drinks about popular culture and why the world care about Miley Cyrus twerking when the people in Syria are about to be attacked by the US in the name of rooting out tyranny. Of course he was of the opinion that the world has gone dumb to be guilled by celebrity theatrics for attentions. I differed with him as on this blog I have personally written about varying topics from relationships, politics, personal stuff and, yes, occasionally something about a celebrity that has nothing to do with their work. I could easily be accused of perpetuating that madness by reporting celebrity news. ..
I am a consumer of pop culture. I live it, I play it and I am it. If so, who better then to indulge in its frivolity than I and if there is an audience to consume it, who are you to question its merit or relevance when all you can do is NOT read it, be part of it or watch it.
To look at me and judge my intelligence based on what I choose to indulge my free time on would be a grave mistake. But alas, a lot of these self indulgent people do. I am not a journalist and the stories I share will not change the world but they are just as relevant as the one you give credence to just because they are in the Sunday Times or Sowetan.
Part of me has always connected pop culture dissection with the ancient Greeks and their myths of heroes and gods. Because, let's face it, the Bonang, the Khanyi, Miley, et al don't exist in any shape, way or form in the world we exist in therefore we don't look at their woes or triumphs as having to do with the everyday humdrum lives we exist in.
They are brands, personas created to sell a commodity -- that is entertainment.
Just as the Greeks never told us about Achilles going to the toilet or Athena having a bad hair day. Why? To preserve their mythology and perfection. So, in a sense, there's a bit of myth-making when it comes to pop culture personalities today as well -- the latest iteration of idol worship or destruction.
You wanna believe that that these people are not like us mere mortals. When you face up to the reality that Bonang does have to use the bathroom like all of us it kills the myth. On the other side seeing that on camera ignites a sense of relatability hence the success of reality TV even in its most mind-numbingly crudeness.
Regardless of whether we want to emulate or reject them, we need their stories to be told so we can form an opinion of or about them. This insatiable hunger for stories about other people's lives stems from a basic societal requirement for circus. Give us the ol' razzle dazzle!!
The Romans had gladiators dying in the arena. Shaka amused himself by stabbing boys he did not see fit to be soldiers. The president builds himself Nkandla ... We have Miley Cyrus pseudo-twerking on stage at the VMAs and it send us on a Twitter frenzy. That's our amusement.
We need an escape from staring at these endless "commissions of inquiries" instead of just holding people accountable for their actions, the feaceas debacle in the Western Cape or why Dinah Pule still has a job in public office.
And while we can't wrap our minds around the complexities of the Syrian Civil War or the derivatives market making peasants out of loaned-out-of-their-gourds black middle class, Bonang's seemingly perfect life and trajectory to success is inspiring to dream about for a minute or so and forget about our own woes or that of the world.
I’m going to stop you right there, Very Intelligent Commenter. I know YOU don’t care about Miley Cyrus or who Khanyi Mbau is dating. For you have more scholarly pursuits and cannot waste valuable brainspace on such vapidity.
But do not, for a second, presume to know the level of my intelligence based on the fact that I choose to indulge in a bit of escapism by Tweeting or writing about someone else's career or Miley twerking.
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