The Worthlessness and Power of Celebrity.

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The recent enquiry regarding phone hacking by journalists led me to lend some thought to celebrity, which is more than most celebrities do for themselves, of course.

It's an odd state, when you consider it in a rational light. People, often with no discernible talent and with little to offer the world in general, attract publicity, which, in turn affords them an income in various ways. So, we have individuals, incapable of stringing together a reasonable sentence, putting their names to novels and autobiographies patently written by ghost writers. We have others, without a shred of scientific knowledge, claiming to have designed perfumes, which have clearly been concocted by those in the professional know. Yet others act as presenters of TV programmes, where their inanity and stupidity irritates anyone with even the most basic sensibility.

And the most peculiar aspect of this feeding on fame from no good cause, is that there are sufficient members of the public gullible enough to support these nonentities. I have to confess to being baffled by this. The world is teeming with people who have real talent, folk who produce work of real merit, individuals who give the world something worthwhile. Surely, if people have a need to worship, follow or become fans, they can direct their adoration toward those who deserve it? Or, is it that those who have no talent recognise the celebrities without talent, and hope and dream that they might one day emulate their material success?

Does it all matter?

Well, yes; I think it does. It's an unarguable fact that money promotes power in its possessors. So, giving money to fools, ne'er-do-wells, self-publicists and those liars who claim to be authors of various works of talent, provides them with power far beyond either their capacity or their desserts. This power resides in areas such as purchasing power, slewing the markets in ways that would otherwise not exist. It's reflected in influence, which these individuals deserve no more than the common man. Most importantly, it shows in their access to the media, where they're able to spout their ill-considered or spurious opinions and claims to yet more of the gullible.

When there exist large numbers of talented individuals who remain ignored and under-appreciated, it seems to me a shame that these celebrities gain undeserved fame, riches and followers without positive effort. I would far rather see the media promoting people who have some worth in society, and the public showing appreciation to those who deserve it for their contribution to the world.

I feel this is something that needs to be said and I don't care that some will see my reasoned statement as a contention based on envy. It isn't. But, I will, inevitably, be accused of sour grapes. So be it.

A question for you to ponder: How important do you have to be before you're assassinated, rather than simply murdered?