Why Do We Idolize Athletes, Musicians And Actors?

[Seil]

So I'm finally over my New Years Hangover or (NYH for short) and I've got some time off. So, I decided to do what I missed out out on during the school semester and work schedule bogged me down: watch TV and movies. What with the one sock hanging off the foot and the potato chip crumbs down my front. I watched ParaNorman (which is great) and MiB3 (Alice Eve is hot) and I was watching MiB where they pull into the empty stadium parking lot, and there's that over head shot that really shows the emptiness, and I was like, wow. That's a big lot for a stadium.

Then I thought, no, actually, that stadium holds thousands of sports fans. I then thought of how many sports fans could fill that lot and crowd that stadium. Not really being a sports fan, I remembered going to see Leonard Cohen live in concert during his North American tour a few years back, and how close the seats were jammed together to fit as many people in as possible.

I thought to myself - because thinking to other people is impossible - that it's amazing that so many people can come to see a musician perform. Then I thought that there are musicians performing every day and nobody pays any attention, because some of them are crazy homeless guys and some of them perform with Rowan Atkinson. So there's certainly a measure of talent involved here.

But to the question; we sell out sports events, movies, music performances to catch a glimpse of a favored artist. Why? Why do we put these people on a pedestal? Is it mainly because it's what we're told to do? Are we actually appreciative of the person? Joshua Bell, one of the finest fiddlers around played in a subway station and got little to no response. So what's my - remember, I've got one sock and potato chip crumbs down my front (illustrating a definitive difference here, people) - excuse for hero worship here?

[Nique]

It's not always about hero worship. You're describing cultural experiences here (going to concerts, sporting events etc).

In a way we're not watching dumb movies to see Will Smith, we're watching dumb movies so that we can talk about Will Smith with the people who are actually in our lives.

[synkr0nized]

I don't.

They're just people with a job that puts them in a spotlight. While I enjoy their work, I think there's a plethora of evidence to support that they are no better or worse than anyone else.

I don't think it's fair to say any of those things you mention are sold out for these people as much as they are sold out for the enjoyment of the product and the time spent with others attending.

[Bells]

The pedestal is not for their performance is for everything before and after.

Most of these people, Artists, Athletes and the like... they deserve genuine praise, some of these people have true skills and abilities and a passion for what they do. Actually, most of the time, people idolize the attitude and the passion surrounding an artist more than their art.

What is true though in those business, and that has been proved again and again, that a good artist that gets himself surrounded by the wrong people, enablers of bad behavior, will develop dysfunctional attitudes and personas. Those that keep their feet to the ground, they are just like everybody else, just with a talent that require them to gather attention from large groups.

You can see in the media that overall praise and criticism of musicians for example, mostly comes and goes from their attitudes and what they say or do off stage. Hardly ever anymore is about their work or the quality of their craft. Which is presented as a plus...

Similar cases are there for comedians, tv show hosts, actors and actresses and of course Athletes...

In a sense, even Book Writers have gone that route lately... hardly anymore can someone make a good living with just their craft without the byproducts. You need the by products... you come for the Football, you stay for the Deodorant commercials.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Because they have bums that just won't quit.

[Bells]

little known fact: Smarty is a big fan of Bono, see above.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

He doesn't have a nice butt. You would think with his google-worthy tax avoidance he would have enough money to buy a new butt.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Apparantly every british olympian recently recieved a knighthood for competing in the games last year. Surely I'm not the only one who thinks that's a bit much?

[Amake]

Part of it is the mysterious allure of fame, which I think is the least understood of all social constructs we have. We want to know what it is that these people have or do or are that makes so many people care about them. Maybe just so we can do the same, but I think it's mostly curiosity.

Alan Moore has compared fame to the sea, which up until about when radio became widespread was the basic great adventure facing anyone brave, desperate or stupid enough to try it. It was another world you could go to by hopping on a boat, and you'd have no idea what it would be like or if you would come back, other than what those who came back might be able to tell you, if you could trust their unlikely stories, and if you had enough of a common frame of reference to understand them at all.

Now we have enough quick and reliable modes of travel and a tight enough map of the world available that there's not much mystery left to us on the surface of the world, but instead we have fame going in another, largely untried direction. Almost no one gets to know what it's like to see the world from where Madonna is standing. We can understand she doesn't necessarily have a better, more fulfilling or important life than anyone else, but that's not the point. It's different from ours, so we want to try it. This is why the expression about the grass on the other side of the fence was invented.

[Aerozord]

Fame and wealth breeds fame and wealth.

Though personally, while I can respect the acheivement of physical performance to be an athelete I do not believe they deserve to be grouped with artists which alter (admittedly not always advancing in the positive) culture and creative thinking especially when physical capabilities matter little in modern society.