22 February 2007

Cause Celeb

My TV has recently become an annoyance to me.

Okay, I take that back. WHAT I HAVE BEEN SEEING ON MY TV has recently become an annoyance to me.

Let's see: I have seen a bald Britney Spears at least 5 times; I have seen at least 75 images of Anna Nicole Smith in the last few days; I have seen that awful Paris Hilton at least 9 times in the last week and a half; I've fallen witness to a few of Lindsay Lohan's adventures over the last few weeks; I think Tim Hardaway has flashed up on my screen a half dozen times and... let me just stop there for a second.

I am growing ever so tired of people being celebrated for nothing. For NOTHING in the grand scheme of things. Someone can sing a little, someone can act a little, someone can dribble a ball, someone can throw a touchdown... okay, granted not everyone can do these things, but have we grown insane in our adoration of these fellow mortals? Our society has twisted itself around these people and we have placed them on a grand alter. We chase these people through the most mudane of lifes duties - grocery shopping, working out, throwing out their trash. Photographers stalk their every move with hopes of hawking their images to the highest and most perverse bidder. We hold these people under bright lights so we can witness their lowest and most human moments and glipse at their tragedies while we wait in line to buy our milk, eggs and granny-smith apples.

I've had enough.

Britney: A sad sight indeed. Confused and obviously headed towards a tragic end - on camera. Why do I know? Because she can sing okay - so society has shoved her her life all over CNN.

Anna Nicole: Her claim to fame? Uh, Playboy playmate, her big boobs, her countless boyfriends, her bleach blonde do, and her dead billionaire husband. So, why in God's name is she taking up court TV time? Why is MSNBC spending hours and hours of valuable air time detailing her life which actually didn't do a thing to make the world a better [or worse] place.

Paris: Her claim to fame is the fact that she has a great last name and she knows how to create her own hype. Hype which millions of 20 something nobody's live and die for. Honestly, the only thing that makes Paris photoworthy is her uncanny resemblance to a six foot, blonde praying mantis.

Lindsay Lohan: Honestly I don't know if she's a singer or an actress. I think she's an actress, but all I know for sure is that FOX news and CNN tend to show her always entering or leaving REHAB somewhere. I hope she gets herself together - she looks like a kid to me... a tired, burnt-out, hard livin', kid.

Tim Hardaway: He doesn't like gay people. And HE is WHO again? A burnt out ex-baller? Okay, alright, okay... so why do I care WHAT he likes? Beats me - but EPSN and CNN seem to think I should know and care.

So, this is what I have decided to do.

I have decided to create my own list of people that DESERVE some CELEBRITY status in the world! I have found some men and women that WE SHOULD KNOW and care about - here goes:

SGT. KUNIHIKO MIYAMOTO - a 53 year old police officer who was severely injured recently while saving the life of a woman who wanted to commit suicide at the Tokiwadai train station, on the Tobu Tojo line in Tokyo, Japan. SGT. MIYAMOTO recently died of his injuries.

THE THREE BOSTON FIRE FIGHTERS - that recently went into a burning apartment building on Cheney Street and saved three children [all under the age of six] who where home alone when the blaze broke out.

ILHAN KARADENIZ - the owner of a coffee shop in the Istanbul neighborhood of Zeytinburnu who noticed cracks in the walls and a slight rumbling in the five story building where his shop is. Mr. Karadeniz and several others ran through the building banging on doors and waking up people saving an unknown number of lives just before the building collapsed.

RANDY WEATBROOK - who, after having a near fatal heart attack in Mesquite, NV was saved by an Air Force Captain using a defibrilator. Mr. Weatbrook soon thereafter wrote a check for nearly $7000 to pay for a defibrillator in each of the public schools in the town where he had his heart attack.

LEE BRICE - recently donated a kidney to a complete stranger in Kingston, WIsconsin. She gave her kidney for no other reason than to help save the life of a fellow human being.

TATE ELSE - a special ed teacher at Cottonwood Elementary school in Nevada saved the life of a third grader who began choking on a piece of food during breakfast at the school.

NOW THESE PEOPLE need to be uplifted. THESE PEOPLE need to be plastered on CNN, MSNBC, FOX news, ABC, NBC, and CBS! THESE PEOPLE saved lives. THESE PEOPLE have made the world a better place and we should care about THEM and what makes them tick. I think we all can learn from their bravery and their willingness to sacrifice.

THEY ARE THE TRUE CELEBRITIES.

TTBM

27 comments:

dclawchic said...

Amen to this post! I totally agree!

Anonymous said...

Amen! I agree totally. Unfortunately THOSE people don't garner the same kind of ratings that celebs do so unnoticed they go, at least by society at large.

Recently, I had to wonder when celebs started headlining the news just 'cause. Wtf?! There's a war spiraling out of control..err, um raging, an election brewing and plenty of other issues that need some time and focus.

Does no one else find it ironic that 'reality' TV does nothing but remove us from reality?? *sigh* I wanna go back to the days in college when I thought I could save the world.

dreamyj said...

Thank you so much for that. Just what I needed; a break from all of the entertainment celebrity mayhem. Those people are the true heros and I, like you, see their value, so thank you for sharing.

Miss J said...

Amen, brother! I am SO tired of seeing the Anna Nicole story ad nauseam-who cares HOW she died? And Britney-train wreck in the making. It'd be so refreshing to see stories about everyday folks who do extraordinary things just because it's the right thing to do, not because they think they'll get media attention.

Tickledpink said...

I agree to a certain extent wiv this. The funniest trend thats goin around now is people being famous for being too skinny lol!

A massive example of this is David and Victoria Beckham. When they started their relationships she was in the Spice Girls and he was in the premier league at football(very talented). When she left the Spice Girls she was in his shadow a lot even though they were a big power couple in the UK. Now because she has lost so much weight and has all cameras on her the England team has dropped him simply because she is more famous than him now. And all she has done in reality is been very thin and posed for many paparzzi photos!

I dont get too bothered about who is classed as a celeb because as is evident the only reason these people are about most of the time
on TV and magazines is because it sells. When it comes to stardom you just have to have something about you however fickle it that makes people interested in some kind of way.

For example Ive always admired Jennifer Lopez for getting a few Number one albums despite being tone deaf. I mean its hard enough for good singers to get into the top 50 lmao!!! When it comes to money selling is selling and if a significant number of the public are prepared to watch and buy things with Paris Hiltons face plastered on it than that tha biznizz. Although I dont like some of these people it doesnt make me annoyed they are present.

People who have actually helped our society would be devalued if pushed into celebrity as it isnt the same as being a star or legendary etc... Capitalism has this kind of little people mentality. Charisma gets you a lot further in that industry.

Tickledpink said...

*in this industry.

Gunfighter said...

Amen

SlapHappy Gemini said...

Outstanding. Simply outstanding.

Enigma said...

I keep telling my celebrity obsessed friends this. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Their lives are great or messed up like everybody elses's, they are just on TV in the movies etc. They are here to entertain me, when they are finish they can get the heck on. I wish the news folks would get back to telling news, leave the gossip to the other folks. To all of the VIP's doing big and important things like saving lives, standing up for justice etc., thanks a million times over. Unfortunately, the media won't cover that.

onefromphilly said...

***Applause,Appluse,Applause*
for those unsung heros!!

Entertainment TV has gotten to the point where I sometimes feel sorry for the celebrity.
The way they absolutely hound some people to get a picture or negative reaction. I just hope the paparazzi doesn't drive Britney to suicide. Can't they see this young 25 year old, mother of two is falling apart? Why in God's world do people seem to get so much glee from other peoples suffering?

The Thinking Black Man said...

Hello DCSAVVY-

Thank you VERY much for your comment!

Hey there M-
I knew I had had too much when I found myself up late one night and MSNBC was hosting an in depth look at the death of Anna-Nicole. It had this creepy feel like a head of state or someone has passed away.

I personally think there should always be coverage of the war on at least one of the big networks. And, someone should be trying to find a way to impeach Bush over the whole thing!

Thank you for your thoughts!!!

Hi there DREAMYJ
It felt amazingly refreshing to research these heroes. I'm thinking about starting a blog dedicated to just everyday people that do extraordinary things.

Hey HEAVENLY ZETA!
I'm with you. I was quite humbled by the different people and events I came across while trying to put names into this post. I wish the news featured 5 or 10 minutes on these people!

Hi there TICKLEDPINK
Thanks for your thoughts>

So, Posh is now famous for being too skinny? Huh?

I guess what doesn't sit well with me is just as you say... someone who is "a star or legendary." Typical people put those titles on people who largely don't deserve them.

Thanks GUNFIGHTER!

What's up SLAPHAPPY GEMINI?
Thanks for droppin' by Brother!

Thanks ENIGMA!

I'm with you - there is a war going on and we can't even join in the mourning for our fallen troops. The Bush Administration refuses to allow the media to show the flag draped coffins of our soldiers and yet MSNBC and CNN cane give 10 hours of Anna Nicole updates, or FOX news can broadcast pictures of a bald Britney Spears. And I'm certain that one of the networks has shown blurred out pictures of a panty-less Paris Hilton partying at a club.

Insane. Nothing more, than insane.

Hey ONEFROMPHILLY

How have you been?

That's another thing about all of this - these people are dying slowly before the world. Britney is a plane who's engine has stalled and is spiraling out of control. Instead of trying to help her - the photographers just want to get the shot just as she impacts the ground. Nobody wants to help this poor kid!

Paris? Sadly, I think she is a drunken overdose waiting to happen. And yet, everybody wants to keep her drunk, drugged and screwed.

Anna Nicole, I think it was MTV that put on three seasons worth of Anna Nicole footage - which basically showed her fumbling around in a drug induced haze all of the time. At no point did, any of her "boyfriends" or "family" tell MTV to get the hell out of her face. Now she's dead and she's even more of a novelty item now than she was then. I halfway expect her "boyfriend" to have her stuffed and mounted in the back yard so he can charge admissions to people that want to have their picture taken with her.

(Geez, that's pretty nasty. I can't believe I just wrote that...)

TDJ said...

Well said TTBM! Well said!

Don't Be Silent DC said...

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! There is so much truth in this post!

I want to wean myself away from TV. Too much dreck and trash. And it's hard to escape the Britney Spears debaucle when everyone at work is looking for updates on that bald-headed floozy every five minutes (rolls eyes).

Lisa Johnson said...

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for giving me something worthy to read about! News of substance seems to be so lacking these days. This post was like a salve for my brain.

Anonymous said...

Hey there, I LOVED this post... such a breath of fresh air to read about something REAL for a change! :)
Take it easy,

x mwah x

The Thinking Black Man said...

Thank you TDJ! I appreciate that!

Hey GOLDEN SILENCE. I'm trying to get away from TV also. At least the ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX networks. They are broadcasting so much crap - that I feel a little dumber everytime I watch something on them. At least the DISCOVERY and HISTORY channels teach you something.

Hi there ANALI! Thank YOU very much for that compliment!!!

Hi YOUNG MISS WILLIAMS Thank YOU also for the kind words. I felt that breath of fresh air too when I was writing this post.

CreoleInDC said...

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Hell...you made me sit up with this one.

I'm done with the online news too. It KILLED me when on ELECTION DAY the breaking news on CNN.com was Britney Spears filed for divorce. I hate them.

Tsiporah said...

This was great!!!! I can't stand the media coverage of all these so-called celebrities.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you said it. It bothers me that I have to search for my news when the BS is all over the place all the time. Thanks for sharing these great stories.

Unknown said...

This was a great post and really mimicked how I was feeling not too long ago. I'd finally lost it and started screaming at the t.v. to move on when I'd seen Anna Nicole for the umpteenth time. I want news! Real news!!

So thank you for this post and I whole heartedly agree that we should be celebrating the REAL heros and the REAL celebrities. I love hearing news pieces about real people, but it really bothers me that they only get a 10 sec. blurb when some gold digger that screwed an old man get days on end of covereage...

Tasha said...

Thanks for this post. I'm not sure why our society makes heroes out of marginally talented or important people, yet bastardizes the true celebrities. It's refreshing to read about people doing good works.

Anonymous said...

Thanks TBM, the negative and silly news does dominate the air waves, its good to see the good part of our human race.

N. said...

This was a great list - the second one that is.
The first list - scary!
I keep wondering (nay 'hoping') that this will be a watershed moment when we start to rethink out obsession with vacuous celebrities and turn our attention to those who truly deserve our esteem, and our applause. Your examples were inspiring.
I came across your blog via Gunfighter's post in a blog exchange. I've wandered through your older posts. I like your writing style and the wide scope of topics. Thanks for giving me some food for thought.

GiGi - The Shy Giraffe said...

i enjoyed reading your posts. i guess folks be so self absorb in the life of celebrities cuz they need a diversion from all the horrors thats been going on.

keep up with the great posts!!

=:O)

The Thinking Black Man said...

Thank YOU CREOLEINDC for the kind words!

I REALLY think Britney is going to hit rock bottom within the next few months. And the worst part is - You, me and 20 million others are going to witness it live on TV, whether we want to or not.

Hello TSIPORAH! Welcome to my blog and thank you very much for your comment!

Hi CHELE. Thank you for the comment. It's sadly funny - but I used to avoid the first 5 minutes of the news because I got tired of the killings and violence. Now, I've got to bump that up to about the first 10 minutes - so I can bypass all the killings, violence and celebrity deaths, arrests, divorces and adoptions.

Hey there BLACK MAMBA! I used to like my TV. I used to Luuuuv my TV, but now that the celebrity mongers have infultrated CNN, MSN and my local stations - the thrill is gone.

Hi TASHA. How are you doing?

You just asked the $64,000 question. Why are these people given so much value in our society? Personally, I'm just speechless over the whole thing... well, sort of.

DJ BLACK ADAM! Whats up brother? Thanks for droppin' by!

Yeah, more of the REAL good stuff needs to be celebrated and praised - not these drunken party-goers and posers. It's just sad.

Hello ALPHA DOGMA Welcome to my blog! And, thanks for the comment!

"Watershed" is one of my rarely e used but highly regarded words. I think all of us bloggers are part of a watershed moment in global history - we are crossing borders on maps, we are crossing time zones and creating our own rules everyday. This is a very exciting time. And, it would be nice to change the definition of TRUE CELEBRITY.

Isn't GUNFIGHTER'S BLOG great? I really like it a lot! He seems like a really good guy!

Hello GIGI-THE SHY GIRAFFE, welcome to my blog and thank you for leaving a comment!!!

Maybe. Maybe that is why celebs are so loved. Maybe there are our way of saying - Gee, my little crappy day in the office was nothing compared to having three men claiming to be the father of a Playboy playmates baby girl.

Either way, it still freaks me out a little.

BTW - Nice blog name too!

Lola Gets said...

LOVED this post! I know my blog is really personal, but I also like to discuss current events - I just might do something similar soon!

L

Anonymous said...

I'm sick of tv too. I can't watch more than 2 minutes of entertainment shows because all they talk about is Brittany, Paris, and now Anna Nicole. The shows make me feel dumber by the minute. The news isn't much better. I have never heard of any of the people you mentioned so that just shows the media is focusing on crap. But they probably do that because photographers make money off celebrity photos that they sell to magazines, and then magazines and make money from those who buy, and entertainment shows play videos and photos and make money from advertisements. If they made money off the heroes you mentioned then we would hear a lot more about them.