The Celebrity-Industrial Complex

Before entering the celebrity inferno, a taxonomic note is in order. What is the difference between Fame and Celebrity? Fame has always been with us; people did something particularly noteworthy and fame followed. Celebrity is different; to be a celebrity does not require any fame-worthy achievement. It is a peculiarly modern phenomenon, only possible in an age with mass media. “Celebrity is fame’s shinier, slightly obnoxious cousin.” It “feeds on mass media” and “turns icons into idols.” “We don’t always know why we’re supposed to know who someone is, just that we should.” Consider this test: “Much to my chagrin, I know more factoids about my favorite actors, musicians, and comedians, than I do about my flesh-and-blood neighbors. Mass media gives us the illusion of intimacy while drawing our attention away from the true intimacy available within a physical community, be it an apartment building, a book club, or a church.”

Seeing the effect of celebrity on the culture is hard because most of us live in a celebrity-infused society. It would be helpful to find a subculture which is immune to its influence. If any place was going to be the holdout in a celebrity-addled society, surely it would be the Christian church. Right? The implications of Beaty’s book run far beyond the documentation of how celebrity culture is destroying the church. If you want to know what has happened to the broader culture and politics by looking at what should have been the last holdout, Beaty’s book is an excellent post-mortem. 

Read the rest at The University Bookman

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