Celebrity Gossip

THE ISSUE:

It’s ironic to think that as recently as the 19th century, the arena of performing arts was seen in a completely different light to how it’s seen today.

Art itself has been around forever—people like to be entertained and appreciate beauty. The basic premise of the performing arts has not changed, but the status of artists most certainly has.

Since the turn of the 20th century, performers have never been more exalted. Actors and singers have now become the new elite, with their huge mansions and diamond-studded lifestyles.

And with the fame comes the paparazzi, magazines, tabloids, gossip blogs etc. There’s a lot of money to be made from it all, too.

Magazines like Famous , NW and Woman’s Day all cover the lives of celebrities in speculative, often contradictory, detail—who’s been seen with who, what their “friends” have been saying, which marriages are on the rocks and who’s been spotted wearing a cardigan (which seems to indicate pregnancy to some magazines).

Many people follow the lives of the stars with an insatiable appetite. What we choose to see now lies on the outside—what a person possesses, be it jewellery, good looks or the latest boy/girlfriend.

What we hold important, our values, seem to have changed somewhat. We can’t get enough of celebrity gossip and are even willing to pay to maintain the addiction.

Lots of us are caught up in the superficiality of it all.

It’s no longer about talent but an image—an image that would be sought by adoring fans all over the world.

RESPONSE:

Don’t get me wrong. I am all for creative expression. I thoroughly enjoy a good play or movie. I like listening to different sorts of music and I am a voracious reader.

Creative and talented people need to be recognised and encouraged, like all other people in any honest form of living.

But have we gone a tad overboard? Has the tinsel blinded us? Appreciating a creative art form is one thing. Following it to the point of obsession is another.

Recognising and acknowledging talent is one thing. Spending millions of dollars letting everybody know about it is another.

If you google “celebrity gossip,” you’ll find there are around 7,350,000 sites that deal with just that, although you’ll probably never find enough time to go through them all. Celebrity gossip is fun, which is probably why it sells so well. But we can have a choice about what we buy, give priority to and believe when it comes to what we take seriously as news.

God wants us to encourage each other in the things we do. But I’m sure He never meant us to pat each other on the back to the point where His own creation has taken over His place. Instead of seeking God and being like Him, we now look to today’s exalted artists—whose talents God gave—for direction.

Instead of focusing on superficial things, we can look at the more important things in life and make sure we’re informed about what’s going on in the world around us. Reading and viewing news and opinions from a variety of sources can help when it comes to getting informed.

That’s not to say we can’t have some fun and silliness; just perhaps make sure we’re getting a “balanced” media diet.

ACT:

> Look at other things in the media, rather than celebrity gossip only—you mightn’t get excited by the Financial Review, but make sure you’re informed on a variety of topics.
> If you want to feed the celeb gossip craving, make sure the source you’re getting it from is reliable and honest (too much to ask for in a tabloid mag?).
> Begin a “words that heal” campaign and focus on sharing positive information and words with and about other people.
> Don’t turn gossip into a “Chinese whispers” sort of game—and remember to take stories with a pinch of salt.

LINKS:

> http://teenadvice.about.com/library/weekly/aa101600b.htm
> http://love.ivillage.com/fnf/fnffamfeuds/0,,7lg,00.html
> www.workplaceissues.com/qagossip.htm
>www.briomag.com/briomagazine/quizzes/a0006048.html