The Cult of Celebrity

[josef k]

I think thee are three subjects here (my definitions).

1. Celebrities. People who have no worthwhile skill or achievement, and are famous for being famous. e.g. Kim Kardashian.
2. Musicians, actors etc. People who you didn't know personally, but have touched your life in a positive way. My example would be John Peel.
3. Subjects of mass hysteria when they die. People you didn't know personally, possibly didn't think about too much when they were alive, but caused you to engage in competitive grief when they died. e.g. Diana.

I only get emotional when its someone in group two. As to the others, if I didn't have a good word for them when they were alive, I certainly won't be hypocritical enough to have one when they are dead.

[Kili01]

Yes, some good posts here. I also agree with those who would like to see more restrained public behaviour when certain celebrities die, The whole public 'outpouring of grief! when poor Diana died seemed to be fuelled by Tony Blair(PM) at the time, plus the media. Regardless of who she was she had done some good things but also some unwise things. The people I really felt grief for were her poor young sons who had to follow her coffin through the crowded streets.
Dee

[smudger]

I didn't agree with the boys walking behind the coffin, it was a step too far. Fairly shrouded in mystery why they did it, other than Prince Philip saying if they would do it he would do it. Not appropriate IMHO, and they both seem to have been unhappy with it. I do think it's quite amazing how they have both turned out, given the history, but great boys I feel and good portents for the future of the monarchy.

In which I'm a great believer.

[J B]

She must have had some impact if you can remember what you were doing when she got married.

I haven't got a clue.

I remember where I was when she died though. I was at home, trying to work out why the radio was playing such God awful music.

I never got the Diana-grief thing either.

Remember the wedding well .... we went to N Wales on a 'sod the royal wedding' trip to visit three girls who were holidaying there (one is now called MrsB ). It was a fantastic journey, no traffic whatsoever; Butlins at Pwllheli was deserted as we passed!

I was a dairy farmer when she died and just wanted to get on with my sh1tty Sunday morning, but like Dominic, couldn't find any decent music on the radio to listen to.

I never got the grief thing either.

[PhotoLady]

She must have had some impact if you can remember what you were doing when she got married.

I haven't got a clue.

Ah no, Dominic - the impact was twofold:

1) the massive burn I had on the inside of my ankle after accepting a ride out on a very nice motorbike over to Antibes from Juan les Pins on the last night of my holiday with a French guy called Luke who I had just met in a nightclub.
I caught my bare ankle on the raised exhaust pipes as I put my feet on the footrest.
I had no way of hiding it the next day when I went to the beach with my Mum, but she did make sure I got some petroleum gauze on it and we stayed shtum about it until it healed up so my Dad didn't find out about it. I still have a patch of white skin there that won't tan....

2) My Mum got done for speeding as we approached Bury from the road over Belmont on the way back home from St. Annes.
We were both in shorts and bikini tops at the time.... Mum looked at me and said "what happens now" as the copper approached us. I said "you're going to get a ticket because he shot us with the radar gun". Dad wasn't best pleased about that!

Some things have a way of making an impact

[William Morris]

Re Cult of Celebrity, it amazes me that the likes of Geldof, Bono, Lily Allen etc voice political opinions to us minions, when in the majority of cases they got famous for singing etc....
Since when has a pop star had the upbringing to be a Statesman/woman...

Why does it amaze you that a person voices a political opinion? Folks on here do it all the time!!

[William Morris]

WM/Dominic....When celebs issue their point of view I have no issue, they have the same rights as us now but when the Paradice Papers show rank hypocrisy.....well I Even if legal it is not ethical by their own standards.

I'm sorry but I just do not follow you!! How do you mean "they have the same rights as us NOW"? How has a celebrity ever been any different to US?

This topic seems to be meandering all over the place with varying opinions. It has lost it's way.

[Dominic]

There was an incident down here in Devon which I think sums up the modern attitude to grief. A child died in tragic circumstances on a local housing estate and a lady arrived in a car with two small children . She went to lay some flowers in front of the house and realised there was no one around so went back to her car. She repeated this three times until the local media was around. This was nothing to do with the tragedy but all about her.

Was the lady a local celeb or a neighbour? Very odd behaviour.

[daveg]

I should clarify that it amazes me that people LISTEN to what pop stars say....

[Dominic]

I should clarify that it amazes me that people LISTEN to what pop stars say....

Sometimes they don't though. I am a fan of Roger Waters, and he is very outspoken about Trump at his concerts. But his songs have been political for decades. As soon as a Trump supporter sees him slagging off Trump they say "He should stick to music and keep out of politics". Despite the fact that the song he was singing was a political song (Pigs, three different ones) he wrote over three decades ago.

But yes, why people think that a good voice will equal a good brain is beyond me.

[William Morris]

Since when has a pop star NOT had the upbringing of a statesman or stateswoman?

Are politicians different to the rest of the population? Are they raised differently to everyone else?

I just cannot fathom this argument at all. The implication seems to be that celebrities, politicians, famous people are somehow a different breed to everyone else. They are not. They are just people like all of us.

[Maggie B]

I kinda like your post William Morris. ❤

Maggie B

[Dominic]

Dominic , the lady had driven from some distance and apparently all she wanted was to be seen on television.

Well I am guessing she got her wish, though not quite in the way she envisaged!

[tonee]

I bet most people remember where they were when Elvis died!

[Alfie]

Not me, sorry!

[Devil]

Nor I!

[robf]

Wasn't he on the toilet?