The Case For Paparazzi

Longtime readers will know that we've been quite skeptical surrounding the whole celebrity industry.  The sheer proliferation of celebrities who are famous simply for being famous seems unprecedented, as does the ability for the media to mint a seemingly unlimited number of overnight millionaires.  The whole thing has bubble written all over it.  The most damning aspect of it all, is that much like profit-less .coms, many of these celebrities don't even have any fans.  Are there really any fans of DJ AM or even Nick Lachey?  Maybe there are, and we're just that out of touch. 

One of the best cases that can be made for the existence of celebrities in society is that they're important for communicators.  Back in the 90's, it made stylists life easier when women could say "gimme the Jennifer Aniston" haircut, as opposed to the customer needing to explain it snip-by-snip.  Kids who follow celebrities are also better adjusted socially and have more real life friends; again it revolves having a shared friend, like a node on a social-networking MySpace that connects people.  Celebrities also help coordinate the giving of charity, in a way that people would have a hard time to do otherwise.  An Eric Clapton guitar sold at auction can raise a lot more money than a similar guitar played by nobody in particular.  This isn't a minor point; large groups of people have a hard time marshaling the money or prompting generosity on their own to accomplish a goal.  It helps to have a central focal point that people can organize around.

I recent thought about this subject again after watching this video, which has to be one of the most horrendous abortions of taste and decency ever caught on camera.  It's safe for work, if you're concerned about clicking.  Basically, it's a couple of "celebrities" making an ass out of themselves.  At first it seems pathetic that there's an industry devoted to watching these people's every move, and it would seem like a giant waste; but what these magazines and paparazzi are actually accomplishing is something quite deep.  They're devaluing celebrity.  By relentlessly exposing their various warts and flaws and tearing them down at every turn, they're making sure that power and value doesn't get too concentrated.  When someone is overexposed to such an extent, they become useless.  And because so many celebrities whither in the heat, it makes the game that much tougher, which is also good.

So when you see those poor guys huddled in a ditch, snapping pictures of Jessica Simpson, don't bemoan the waste of talent and energy.  Appreciate that they're reducing the PPI by deflating this commodity.

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