Unwanted Commentary

There has been a lot of commentary by those in the entertainment industry, from actors and actresses to film makers and sports stars. There has been a lot of commentary on that commentary and the reciprocal commentary on that commentary. There's been a lot of name calling and defensive posturing as well. I'm one who has had a hard time dealing with the remarks that a lot of celebrities are making that are anti-war, anti-American or anti-Bush. This was based primarily on the annoyance factor and nothing more than I disliked people using their privileged access to TV to spout their opinions to a large audience. But as I thought about it last night I began to expand on my original opinion.

First off, the wide umbrella of that defines celebrity includes individuals who are among the most financially rewarded in the history of mankind. I haven't looked up the numbers, but I'm sure if you were to look up the total gross dollars generated from the industry as a whole it would rival the GNP of small nations. If the members of this sect would like to effect change in the world they could start by taking the enormous profits they garner for making a film or recording a record and instead of spending it on themselves distribute it amongst the needy. Sure, there are plenty of celebrities that donate liberally to charities and do volunteer work, but I don't see them giving up one ounce of the privileged lifestyle they lead. Maybe instead of the custom gown for the awards show they could send my future kids to college or instead of the new mansion they could pay off the debt of several middle class families (who work every day mind you).

I also find irksome that celebrities regularly sound off on issues as if from some other worldly mountain of wisdom. That, because they are celebrities and make more money than most of us ever will, they must know what is best for us, the nation and the world at large. Should I even have to remind us all that these are amongst the most morally corrupt and twisted group on the planet? They afford every luxury and favored status for no other reason than that they can pretend to be someone else really well and fool us into believe something their not. Drugs and alcohol abuse, the money to cover it up is just the tip of the iceberg. The drive to celebrity status draws in thousands if not millions of wannabes, but only a few ever make it to the elevated status that the most vocal pundits seem to come from.

Continuing on the trail of moral depravity and pretending to be what you aren't, Hollywood regularly glamorizes all manner of society's ill effects. You've easily got the endorsement of smoking tobacco products or worse, all manner of sexual depravity and flippant life styles. One could go on and on, but I think we've all heard this song and dance before.

How you feel about it depends on your point-of-view and situation. I think my biggest beef is simply that a group of people who have prospered beyond any reasonable measure by the American way of life and culture, which in turn was allowed by the American government, just don't hold a lot of guff with me. Why is it that these groups of people who have benefited the most from America are some of its largest opponents?