Why do people get obsessed with no talent "celebrities?"

[hyphenate]

I find it utterly amazing that some of these people who are in the "public eye," like the Gosselins, the Kardashians, Octomom, the Duggars, the cast of "The Hills" and oh, so many more, are not only admired, but somehow emulated.

I am well aware of how screwed up Americans are in terms of attention to any event or issue, but it's proven to some degree that many of our citizens (probably elsewhere as well) are easily distracted, and I suppose this includes really stupid reality TV shows. Sometimes I think pukes helped create reality TV for just this purpose: keep the masses enthralled so they won't think about how fucked up they (pukes) have made our country.

Thoughts? Theories?




(BTW: I was watching TV tonight, and saw ads for yet another Kardashians show. I really can't stand them. They remind me of Veruca Salt in SO many ways.)

[Capn Sunshine]

1. Bread and Circuses, amigo

keep the masses entertained and maybe they won't conspire against your power base.

[Swede]

2. The cash these 15 minuters make is ridiculous.

[proteus_lives]

4. Love it!

I would watch a Cardassian reality show!

:rofl:

[Capn Sunshine]

8. Dude the shower scenes would be epic

:scared:

[hyphenate]

6. I'd take Gul Dukat

over any of the Kardashians any day. Even though he was a scumbag, he was never a spoiled bitch!

[Skittles]

3. what's weird is

these types have people have been around but now their "15 minutes of fame" is turning into, like, 15 years. Sign of the times. Look how popular "reality shows" are when, come on, they're garbage.

[hyphenate]

5. I agree

WAY too many of them, and WAY too idiotic they are.

Once upon a time, CourtTV was an interesting channel. They had all these trials covered, and they would have a few interviewing shows with both defendants and prosecutors. It wasn't my thing, but hey, at least it was a tad better than listening to Judge Judy hollering at idiots on her show.

Then, CSI came to broadcast networks, and everyone wanted to duplicate it in one form or another. CourtTV began to run Forensic Files, and I found it enlightening, though you couldn't exactly call it "entertaining" by any stretch. But it remained interesting, because it was always about real cases.

Well, CourtTV vanished, and became "TruTV" instead. Now, all they run are stupid idiotic shows and repeats of older Forensic Files. "Pawn Star?" "Bait Care?" "Repo Men?" "Pit Boss?" It's insane!

[Skittles]

7. aw I LOVED CourtTV

I agree that TruTV is mostly shit :thumbsdown:

[hyphenate]

9. I just had a good laugh at myself

Looking at the mainly true titles of TruTV shows, I noticed I had added an "e" onto one of the titles: "Bait Care" should be "Bait Car."

My laugh? I made the comment to myself that I must have been thinking of a reality show on HGTV: "Bait Care"--a series all about fishing. :D (No, it doesn't exist, but if it ever does, they have my permission to use the title!)

[GoCubsGo]

11. Reality shows are cheaper to produce

That's why there are so many of them. Can't cut into the profits by having to pay writers and others to produce a decent non-reality TV shows. Another reason to not watch all that shit.

[smalll]

10. Same reason the Brits used to read up on the nobility, and Americans followed the follies of the

Social Register set in the newspapers.

It seems a large segment of humanity has a permanent longing to cringe before their "betters" -- or at least, before the people who live lives larger than our own.

[realisticphish]

12. but I really don't think they're cringing

I think people love it when famous rich people fail. People don't get on the front page of the Enquirer for the headline "I'm happy and everything is A-OK." Someone is arrested, someone cheats on someone, drugs, weight, feuds, whatever. I think it's that some of us plebs like to see celebrities have similar issues to us.

I personally couldn't care less, but I think that's a major part of the reason people are interested.

[OmahaBlueDog]

13. They are relatable

If you live in a trailer park; if your life has been nothing but family or workplace or group drama; if you know you could have/would have/should have been a football player/a cheerleader/singer in that band you were thrown out of/manager of marketing instead of that twerp........then reality TV is your cup of tea.

Speaking of tea, that is why Sarah Palin is so popular. People relate to her and people relate to her trainwrecked family.

[tigereye]

14. I have always thought that focusing on these folks is a way of avoiding

working on one's own life... or it may simply be a pleasant distraction from life's challenges.


:shrug:

[Fleshdancer]

15. my theory...

I think the people who care about the reality idiots do so out of the hope that some day it could be them who receive this level of attention. Let's face it, the talentless out number those with actual talent in this world, but some are getting noticed anyway.

[MrScorpio]

16. Boredom

I can't think of another answer

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. Because America is 90% dumb as a fucking post, so dumb as a fucking post celebrities are their thing

Americans don't want to think, especially when it comes to art and politics, but especially art, and so talent scares the shit out of most of this wretchedly ignorant cultural shithole of a country.

it's the "I voted for Bush because he seemed like the type you could sit and have a beer with" mentality that equates being stupid/vapid/empty with being more real and more down-to-earth.

[snagglepuss]

19. BINGO> "A mentality that equates being stupid/vapid/empty

with being more real and more down-to-earth.." This is really a lynch pin. I am suddenly struck as I am thinking about your remark whether this mentality is actually a bizarre bastardization (mutation?) of the Enlightenment ie only those things that the senses preceive are real.

[Withywindle]

18. I wonder about this too.

I guess I have some obsessions and some favorite famous and semi-famous people, but they're all people who actually DO STUFF. Musicians, actors, writers, directors.

I like some reality shows, but only the ones that are about people DOING STUFF. Whale Wars, the shows about animal rescues, Mythbusters, that sort of thing. I like that Stormchasers show, although I can't remember the names of any of the people on it, I've learned a lot about thunderstorms and tornadoes, and I'm always down for some good weather porn. :D

I really don't get fascination with people who are just famous for being famous, who don't actually do anything interesting or produce creative work that's any good. I mean, what does Lindsey Lohan actually DO besides being a young woman who's throwing her life away in front of God and everybody? Does she sing? Does she act? I have no idea, really.