By Elizabeth KeatingThe Daily Northwestern
This week, people were buzzing about the latest celebrity train wreck. From rehab to salon to rehab and out, we’ve been fixated on Britney Spears, America’s favorite bubblegum girl-turned-toxic disaster.
Many of us Americans couldn’t explain the difference between Sunnis and Shiites or discuss health care, but we all could name all of Brad and Angelina’s children. We know who designed Katie Holmes’ wedding dress and use Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan as adjectives to describe anti-Semites and out-of-control club trash, respectively.
Celebrity worship is paramount, and the gossip wheel has spun out of control. We imitate the rich and famous in fashion, philanthropy and attitude. They represent who we openly wish we were and who we’re secretly glad we’re not.
On the surface, following tabloid news – through high-brow, established Page 6 or low-brow, new-wave Perez Hilton – may be a harmless and uplifting way to temporarily escape from a world that’s not. But recently, a dark side of celebrity coverage has dominated. From athlete to actor to socialite, we’ve seen a series of famous people as cautionary tales of lost control, intolerance and worse. Yet we remain mysteriously mesmerized by superstars who fell from grace and got away with it all.
Miss USA Tara Connors partied hard underage yet kept her crown. Mel Gibson tossed back some drinks and went un-PC at a Jewish cop, and “Apocalypto” still got Oscar nods. Naomi Campbell was accused of assaulting her personal assistant and housekeeper, and yet remains a fashion icon.
On “Grey’s Anatomy”, Dr. Preston Burke of Seattle Grace Hospital remains the thinking woman’s heartthrob, even after Isaiah Washington verbally and publicly slurred his gay co-star, then did so again while acknowledging the mistake.
Leading politicians also often are attached to unapologetic scandal. Rudy Giuilani’s notorious adultery furthered his name recognition and national profile far before his presidential exploratory committees. Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey wrote a best-seller about cheating on his wife with a man, including nary a regret.
True retribution for the stars might be down the road, and their deeds might tear them up inside. But many get off with a tearful statement to the press and a moonlight engagement at a treatment facility or a few hours of community service. Neither the press nor the public has been willing to hold even repeat offenders accountable for their actions. Stars certainly have not faced the consequences of those with less diamond-studded profiles.
For the common person, these mistakes could mean the loss of a job, friends or at least a good reputation. There’s something romantic about being so mighty that your mistakes only make you more coveted. But our morally troubled nation follows these flawed celebrity examples that are neither healthy nor productive.
They need to rise above the prewritten speech and rehab stint. Americans may even follow suit.
Medill junior Elizabeth Keating can be reached at [email protected].
