15 Minutes of Anonymity

There's a saying that goes something along the lines of... everybody gets 15 minutes of fame... or something like that. The culture that we live in is obsessed with fame. People want to be famous, and if they can't be famous... they want to work for the famous. In a recent poll, more people wanted to be a celebrity's assistant than something important, like being the president or the CEO of a fortune 500 company or something.

You really can't blame them. Celebrities make a lot of money, and people almost worship them like gods. Who doesn't like being loved and adored? Of course, for those of us who are Christians, God is who we should want people to love and adore, not ourselves. But even for the Christian, it's natural to want to be liked.

A lot of people do stupid and dangerous things because they think that it will make them famous. Look at the Fear Factor phenomenon. People that get into fights or do stupid, dangerous stunts in front of video cameras in hopes that their YouTube video might go viral.

But what happens to these people? Do they really experience a complete change of life? Do they get mobbed for autographs in the grocery store? Probably not.

With the popularity of reality TV, just about anybody can get on television. Or lots of people at least. But very few of them are remembered by the masses. If you watch American Idol, do you remember Zachary Travis (without Googling)? He was a boy that completely looked like a girl... he now has a web site up at Zachidol.com. They have a guest book up there that gets about 1 post a month. Or perhaps you are a Survivor fan. Without googling, can you even tell me what season Carl Bilancione was from? He was from Survivor Africa... which wasn't the most popular season by far, but I've seen every episode of Survivor at least once and I had to look up Survivor seasons on Wikipedia to find that name. I haven't seen every season of the Amazing Race, but I don't really remember Megan and Heidi... and they were on the very popular season that Rob and Amber placed second in.

So if your average reality TV fan can watch every episode that you appear in and not remember you after a couple of years, what becomes of someone who loses their finger creating a YouTube video that they hope will go viral. Well, a year from now, nobody will know who they are, and they will be without a finger.

I have my own experience with television. One summer in college, I worked as a movie extra. I worked in Higher Learning, Stuart Smalley, Reform School Girls, True Crime, and Little Giants. I carried the American flag during the televised Olympic Torch Relay Kickoff in Los Angeles for the Atlanta games. I appeared in several commercials and did a couple of interviews for the Armed Forces Network in Europe about terrorism. Most recently, I appeared in a local American Idol style singing contest.

As a movie extra and flag bearer, I blended into the background and nobody ever notice me, although I could pick out myself. People did recognize me after I did the commercials, and would come up to me and say "hey, I saw you on TV last night!" However, the military community in Italy is pretty small, and more than 90% of the people on the base would know who I was even without the commercials... especially since I taught the anti-terrorism class every week, that all new people were required to attend upon arrival. My picture was also up in the security building because I was the Force Protection Officer and was part of the chain of command. So it wasn't exactly appearing in a commercial and having some random stranger recognize you the next day.

My last television appearance, singing on a local television show, actually surprised me because nobody recognized me. I wasn't on a public access show that nobody watched, I was on a television program that they advertised for months beforehand while they were soliciting for people to audition. I was the very first person to sing on this show. The judges said my name on the air. I sang an entire verse of a song on the air. I'm sure that many people watched the show, but when I went out the next day, it was just like the day before... I still lived a life of complete anonymity. I didn't go on the show to try to be famous (I wanted the prize of a car and cash), so in a way I was glad that nobody knew about my television performance.

In the grand scheme of things, very few people are remembered for very long in history. Would you recognize Mark Dinning if he was walking down the street? Do you know what song he sang? He sang the popular 1960 song "Teen Angel". Many people remember the Beatles, Chubby Checker, and Elvis Presley, but many other people who had hit songs of the time have been fading from memory. 47 years from now, do you think anybody is even going to remember Paris Hilton? Probably not.

If you go back even farther in time, even fewer people are memorable. We remember Bach, Beethoven, and Queen Elizabeth, but many other people who made music or sang during that time are forgotten. Even farther, we remember Plato, Nero, and Julius Caesar, but who remembers the Roman Emperor Vespasian? Going farther back, how many Egyptian Pharoahs can you name? What did Sekhemkhet do? And I have heard the name of the Pharoah Djoser before, but only from the movie Ghostbusters.

As Solomon would say, it's all vanity. Being famous might be fun, but it's not worth losing a finger over. Besides, there are way too many people that get famous and it ends up being their downfall. River Phoenix? Dana Plato? And more recently, Britney Spears... although she hasn't died of a drug overdose or killed herself or anything, I know I wouldn't trade my kids for anything.

Besides, the more famous you are, the more people say bad things about you. It doesn't matter who you are, people even criticize Mother Theresa. Even this little ol' blog, with maybe two readers, already has someone talking smack about it.

What Do Celebrities, Senators, and Suicide Have In Common?

About a week ago, it was all over the news that Senator Larry Craig was gay, and had plead guilty to indecent conduct in a gay sex sting. Although he has denied the allegation that he was gay, an Idaho newspaper reported that he was.

I don't wish to ponder on whether he is gay or not. The better question is, should the newspaper have reported that he was gay? Should newspapers out someone that does not want to be outed?

Is knowing that someone is gay or not important? If this person is a member of the clergy, I suppose that it would be. Some church denominations have had recent scandals along those lines. The Bible forbids homosexuality and calls it an abomination. If a member of the clergy engages in homosexual acts, then they probably should not be in a position of leadership in the church, as church leaders should be role models that laypeople can look up to.

You could argue the importance of a senator's sexual orientation both ways. Is a senator's sexual orientation important? On one hand, it might affect the way that a senator votes, which is important. If a senator's sexual orientation is going to cause him to vote in favor of gay marriage, that's important to know. In Senator Craig's case, he wasn't known for being pro-gay in his voting record. You can also argue that senators should be role models, in that case you may consider it important.

If it is not important as to whether a senator is gay or not, I don't believe that the newspapers should report it. In that case, it is just gossip. It doesn't matter whether it is true gossip or not... we are not to speak ill of other people for no reason.

Which leads me to celebrities. They are often known for their chaotic lives more than just about anybody else. Should newspapers out celebrities? It is important whether an actor is gay or not? Does it really make a difference? You could argue that celebrities are role models too, but if a celebrity does not publicly make his or her homosexuality public by acting discreetly, their sexual orientation would not be a factor in how people saw them. So in my opinion, if a celebrity is gay and is not open about it, the newspapers should leave them alone. It's just gossip.

Which leads me to my final point. People were shocked when Owen Wilson tried to commit suicide. Doesn't he have everything going for him? Then again, don't most celebrities have wealth, fame, and just about anything us normal people could dream of? If that's the case, why do so many of them get into drugs and alcohol? Why does Britney Spears shave her head in a moment of apparent lunacy?

Here's my theory: who are the most gossiped about people in the world? Celebrities, right? I can't think of anybody else who people gossip about more. You might say the royal house of Windsor, but they're celebrities too. If someone has millions of people gossiping about them, by definition you could say that they are celebrities, right?

The Bible tells us not to gossip. It doesn't matter whether the juicy tidbit is true or not, it is still gossip. Gossip is hurtful. People don't like to be gossiped about. You could say that being gossiped is part of the job of being a celebrity, and some stars act like some publicity is better than no publicity, but that doesn't make it right. Perhaps even to the most publicity-seeking celebrity there is, something on the inside feels hurt by what people are saying about them. Perhaps that's why celebrities tend to live such chaotic lives, and try to escape with drugs, alcohol, and occasionally, suicide.

I have to add, sometimes it is difficult not to gossip. It can happen without even thinking. And sometimes there's a fine line between gossip and trying to make a point or teach someone a life lesson. So I realize that it's something that I and many other people need to work on.

Modern Day Idolatry

You shall have no other Gods before me.

~ Exodus 20:3

Many people in America have heard this verse, along with the following verses that tell people not to make any graven images and bow to them. Don't these commandments bring to mind images of people carving statues and bowing to them? We don't do that in America, right? Well, maybe those pagans do...

Oh really? Do Americans practice idolatry today?

I think so.

One example of modern day idolatry in America: celebrities. Who really cares that Paris Hilton went to jail and got cell phone privileges there? I know that I made a couple of posts on it myself, but in the grand scheme of things, is it important? Yes, she is an individual with a soul just like everyone else, and for that she is important, but no more important than that starving child in Zimbabwe that might never even own a television, much less be on it. What exactly has she done to deserve recognition anyway?

But it doesn't stop at Paris Hilton. What about that girl on American Idol earlier this year crying during Sanjaya's miserable rendition of "You Really Got Me"? True, it was horrid enough to make me want to cry, but she wasn't crying because he was butchering the song. She was crying because she adored him so much.

And on and on it goes. We allow all these celebrities to have special perks like getting to go to the front of the line (like the Hilton parents were when they visited daughter Paris in jail), special tables, and even giving them not guilty verdicts when most likely, they are. They get away with scandalous behavior that many of us ordinary people would have problems getting away with (Britney anyone?). It's downright shameful what we pay these people, as well as the power all their adoring fans give them.

Our worship of these gods and goddesses leads to unsafe situations for them. Princess Diana? It leads to the erosion of their privacy. Nobody can tell them no, even when it would be for their own good.

Which leads me to another idol that many Americans have: the government. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the US government. I do happen to be a big fan of Australia as well, but I think that the US government is one of the best in the world today. As Christians, we are supposed to follow the laws of the land, as long as the laws do not conflict with God's laws. We are to render unto Caesar (Matthew 22:21) our tax money. Romans 3:1-3 state that we are to be subject to authority.

However...

Daniel didn't obey the government when the king decreed that nobody was allowed to pray. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to an idol and were thrown into the fiery furnace. If you're looking for New Testament sources, the Apostles were told by governments many times to stop preaching about Jesus, but they did not, even though doing so got them thrown into prison and most of them were martyred. Paul caused a riot at Ephesus. Throughout history, many Christians have been martyred because they would not compromise their faith in favor of what the government told them to do.

What does this have to do with American idolatry of their governments? Recall last week, when the Hindu gave his prayer on the floor of the US Senate? I can see, of course, how non Christians might find the Christians up in the gallery interrupting the prayer to be quite disrespectful. I can see how it might be upsetting to see, if you didn't believe that Jesus was the son of God and that he came to save us all. However, the Christian reaction was mixed. Some were in favor of what the Christians did, others were opposed... saying that it was disrespectful, we are a country with many religions, everybody should get a chance to be represented in the Senate, etc. Doesn't this view demonstrate people placing government above God? Why should we defend someone practicing idolatry on the Senate floor? I know the Senate is not a church, but it is a very important place in our government.

Elijah didn't stand for it in his day. You may recall the story of Ahab and Jezebel. They were Baal worshipers. Elijah told them it wasn't going to rain and the rains stopped for three years. Then he challenged the Baal worshipers to a spiritual dual ~ you pray to your god for fire to rain down, and I'll do the same with my God, and we'll see who sends the fire. Elijah's God delivered, Baal did not (then all of the priests of Baal were killed). One could have argued that Baal was the accepted god of the government... how dare Elijah talk to the king the way he did! Imagine how he ruined the economy by stopping the rains for three years (there was a big famine during the drought, BTW)! He probably wouldn't have been very popular among many Christians today either. But thankfully, he did speak up.

Thank you to my husband who brought up the Hindu prayer/idolatry connection to my attention.