Why do we care about celebrities rather than those who sacrifice for others?
 

The whole world is fixated on Tiger Woods. Why should we care about him more than any other human being just because he is a sports celebrity? (I admittedly not a golf fan). I don't have anything against him. I just don't see the allure of celebrity status. I prayed for him as I would for any other person.

I think it is a shame that we elevate celebrities to a higher interest/importance than the guy next door who works at the factory. Princess Diana and Mother Teresa died on the same day. Guess who got 90% of the MSM attention. IMO, Princess Di was a pampered celebrity born with a titanium spoon in her mouth whereas Mother T was a compassionate person who dedicated her life to helping the most neglected and "undesirable" people of society yet Di was celebrated for weeks and still remembered and MT is a blip in everyone's attention. Did Di do some good things? Sure. She did give a small fraction of her time and resources. MT gave her ALL. Yet, the world was enamored with Di because she was pretty and had social status.

I propose that the we care as much or more about the people who give their lives to the service of others rather than the rich and famous. If you want to follow Woods situation then great but, why not think about the forgotten people and ask "how can I appreciate and bless that person today?".

"We" don't, but yes, a bunch of folks seem to. It's odd to me. But then I also don't watch or care about team sports.

A agree.

The royal family, all of them, are of less concern to me than the fate of a bug in the Amazon jungle at risk of being eaten by a frog. I simply can't care less. The same for celebrities like Tiger that screw up, crashed due to his own actions, and hurt no one but himself. I feel sorry for his pain and suffering, but he did it to himself from bad driving. It is not his first car crash.

I feel the same for almost all celebrities, especially the folks that are famous only because they are rich and famous.

Only a very few celebrities like Gary Sinise that actually use their celebrity to raise money for foundations that don't directly benefit themselves are worthy of my admiration.

Mother T really wasnt as great as you might think. Princess Diana did a bit more to help people than you might know. Not defending either, just pointing out its a spin..

My father built custom homes for celebs in Los Angeles. I grew up seeing much of that lifestyle. For the most part, they are just normal people trapped by fame. My family still gets christmas cards from a few. Some are very much trapped in their own heads.

I think people care because they represent a more exciting life than they have. The industry thrives on any kind of publicity. Real or manufactured. At the end of the day, Mo money, mo problems.

Its the same with politics. People think that it will rub off on them.

I sure as hell wouldnt want to be famous.

I share this amazement and rejection of kardashian culture.

I value people who contribute.

I think it has to do with our movement to an entertainment culture. As opposed to a survival/ progress culture of 100 years ago.

While lots of things are way way better, some have slipped.

We have more free time and look how we spend it. Yikes.

Money for nothing, and the chicks for free....Oh, that aint working !

What, not enough hate in the Tiger thread, gotta start another?

Everyone has a hero, or someone they admire for what they do, or for what they did. Usually it revolves around what you're interested in. I'm a huge motorsports fan and also happen to have been a golfer since I was a kid. I played competitive golf, so I understand what he's done. I want him to continue. So I'm interested in his welfare.

In the motorsports arena, I was hit pretty hard when Senna was killed. Watched it live, on TV. Still wonder what he might have accomplished.

When Nicky Hayden was killed, that was a big deal for me as well. I was a fan, but I also knew his family, so it was more personal. I still remember the last time I talked to him. He wasn't as famous as Senna but that personal connection made it even harder.

So it boils down to what connections you may have with an individual, or the sport they play, or whatever has brought them into the public eye.

Mother Theresa picked a bad day to die but not as bad as Farrah Fawcett, who died the same day as Michael Jackson, who totally stole her thunder. Just lousy luck.

Michael Jackson is dead?

Anyone know what Paris Hilton is doing these days? Any new videos?

Absolutely. And haters gotta hate, especially since the dawn of the internet. In the old days, the only person who had to hear it was the poor sap on the bar stool next to the hater. Now the audience is a bit larger.

Senna was a terrible loss. I'm sure that you've seen the documentary? Really sad. And yes, people die everyday who are mourned by those around them but famous people touch more people's lives, for better or worse. I cried like a baby when John Prine died last year, really didn't see that emotion coming but his music and writing meant a lot to me when I was young and at a particular time in my life. I was also completely alone up in the woods, reading about so many people dying everyday from Covid and certain deaths really stung, sometimes not famous people at all.

The point is that people have emotional connections to public figures that you might not share but I try to understand their feelings, unless the deceased is just a horrible human being. When JFK jr. died, I was completely crushed. Felt like someone punched me in the gut. I had very little personal connection to him but I had met him, one of my closest friends grew up w him and they went to HS and college together at Brown. I remember my BIL making disparaging comments about him at the time and it was really tough for me. I didn't want to fight over it because I love my BIL and his biological dad died in a military plane crash when he was a baby, so maybe that contributed to his remarks.

Anyhow, opinions are like *you know whats* and the internet gives them a megaphone.

Dolly Parton has done more for education in her home area than most could ever hope to do. That doesn't make the news. Bad news and outrage is what makes money for news organizations. Well, local news does OK on bringing good news to light.

That said, I must live under a rock, what's up with Tiger now?

I don't.

I am around some of those people doing work for that crowd or folks related to that industry. I have no knowledge of who's who because I don't find it interesting. Those people like to yell at each other to get thing done. I do know that much. I didn't know about Tiger Woods' crash until someone mentioned it to me over the phone complaining about being in your face in every TV stations and I didn't open that thread. The media hype thing up to get ratings, just like Glen Fry sang about. What pissed me of is when public school get involved. I think I posted about this when that basketball player died in that helicopter accident. Teacher, a big fan I suppose, made my kid take a moment of silence he refused but continue to do his homework quietly then got into trouble with the teacher and the class. He was even called a raciest by his classmate and teacher did nothing about it. I often wonder if this kind of news happened in the roaring 20s (pretty sure it did). How far will we go down before we turn around, especially the media?

Don't get me wrong, I have no ill will against the celebs. some are actually very nice people.

I spent a bit of time at the Mother Teresa clinic in Addis Ababa back in the day - and it was more than an eye opener. Would like to see Kim K., Paris H., et al, spend some time there, roll up their sleeves and get into the thick of it...without any sort of publicity!

OK, educate me as what was not selfless and giving about her.
(and yes, I said Di did some things but it was minuscule in comparison to what she had the influence and finances to do.

Huh? No hate at all for TW. He is a legend in golf. If you are a golfer I understand admiring his abilities and accomplishments. I am a huge fan of certain athletes for their accomplishments and skills. What I am observing is the MSM is feeding top headline news about a guy who's only a great golfer and a major portion of society is obsessed with his accident for no other reason than he is a celebrity.

The only hating I am seeing is your hating my observation. You made judgements on my post without a shred of indication that there was any hate on my part.

The real heroes of the world remain faceless...those are the dads and moms of the world. The ones who hold down jobs while providing for their children...just doing the best they can. The lucky ones are people like me...who had both a mom and a dad at home when growing up.

Yep...my heroes.

He’s possibly the greatest to ever play the game and it’s not certain he will ever play again.

And if that is true, he should be recognized for his ability.