The Downside of Celebrity Worship

There is a fine line between admiring someone and having complete faith in what they project forth as being the all-knowing truth. When the average person idolizes a celebrity, it can be a good thing, for the celebrity can inspire an individual and enrich lives through their art to a point that it encourages people to achieve great things.

When a celebrity does more than entertains, as in philanthropy or other venues, this draws people's attention momentarily away from the entertainment factor, and makes one look at the individual in a different light, as if to see where they are coming from.

But where people fail to draw the line is when their own lives are lacking, and they try to live vicariously through a celebrity, as in project their own sense of morality, whereas the celebrity may be lacking. Then they get mad at the celebrity for not living up to their own expectations, and they also feel cheated, to an extent.

Celebrity worship can be a double-edged sword, for it can lead people down a trail of self-deception, leaving no room for improvement and self- growth. If people spend so much time idolizing someone else, when do they have time to focus on the great things that they can achieve?

In America, it is known that celebrity is like royalty. But how can Americans, or people worldwide truly idolize someone who they do not know personally, only the façade the celebrity projects through their image?

The term "get a life" echoes throughout this essay, for if one becomes more self-absorbed, as in not neglecting others, but concentrating on their own business, it takes away from the false expectation of a celebrity that is truly just a person, granted a unique individual, under a set of extraordinary circumstances.

It may be o.k. to idolize someone. People who may be lacking in their own lives, for whatever reason, just have to be careful about knowing when to draw the line, and see the celebrity in a realistic light. For the rationally-thinking person, celebrity worship is akin to worshipping a false idol, because no human being is perfect. But enjoying someone's art and using it as a tool to inspire is fine, and can be a blessing in most cases as well.