The Cult Of Celebrity
Every day, we are privy to new and ever more lurid details of
Michael Jackson's strange lifestyle. We always knew he lived in
a fairy tale world where he honestly believed that he was white
and mainstream and emotionally healthy. Whether his peccadillos
were as innocent as he maintains is for the jury to decide but
regardless of whether he is guilty as accused, his behavior
certainly never even remotely exhibited any level of maturity or
the ability to make rational decisions beyond the "I want it
now" level of a young child. And yet, daily, his "fans" turn out
to support him, even fainting in the courtroom, overwhelmed by
the stress of their idol under siege.
What is it about fame and celebrity that so grips us? Do we have
no real life of our own? We live vicariously through our hero's
existence and eradicate our own individuality to become simply a
follower/
Would the trial of a no-name alleged child molester pack a
courtroom? Of course not. The Jackson trial is important, and
constantly reported, because of a famous name. Too many of us
confuse the fame that outwardly attached to rock stars, movie
stars, royalty stars, sport stars, and political stars, with the
inner character of the individual who bears the name. We see the
fa