I understand what you are saying. To me there is another level of the 'star connection'. When bad shit happens to a celebrity - like developing a disease, or revealing they were the victim of abuse - it makes them seem more 'normal' - more like us. Maybe it even helps us relate to them in a different way than we might not have otherwise.
Here is an example of what I mean. Lets assume MJ was openly public about the vitiligo and that he made no attempts to hide the fact that he had the disease or do anything to limit its visual appearance. Maybe, just maybe, Chris' wife might have felt a little better by being able to think - 'Wow, here is a guy who is a very public figure and he has the courage to stand up and say 'This is me. This is who I am'' and maybe it could have made her experience a little easier. And on the flip side, it may also have some kind of effect on those who might ridicule or shun others with the disease. There are 2 great examples, I think, of celebrities who have done just this, Dick Clark and Michael J Fox. Both have physically debilitating conditions yet each has chosen to face the public with these conditions and try to raise awareness of them. (On a side note - I think Michael J Fox's short run on Rescue Me was awesome). They are each basically saying 'I am not going to let this condition stop me, and neither should you'. MJ pretty much did the reverse, he hid himself and the condition and basically said 'I am afraid of what this condition will do to me and how people will feel about me' . When my son was born, he had a stroke that left him with cerebral palsy on his right side. I like being able to show him someone like Dick Clark and say 'don't ever let this disability stand in the way of what you want'. MJ wasted a tremendous opportunity to do the same for other people. On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 2:49 PM, denstar<[email protected]> wrote: > > It seems to me that most the sweeping changes we've seen brought about > by "one person", have been by a person who was "average". > > Someone who other "average" people could rally behind. > > The trouble with The Stars, is that most people seem to relate through > fantasy. I love Fox, and who didn't love Super Man, and, hey, what > about Farrah? > > Maybe my "one person change" theory doesn't hold water, but I just > don't see the solution in The Stars. And surely not to the point, > that I'd hold them to some standard I don't hold myself to. > > Say I was molested as a child. Should I feel bad if I'm not out > "spreading the word" about molestation? > > If I have Lupus, should I be out there at the steps of congress (so to > speak) "raising awareness"? Is it sad that I'm not out there trying > to save "just one person"? > > Any person is capable of "changing the world". > > And hell, if all of us could just fucking decide that it's changed, > that that would be that-- > but we don't. > > Ah well. > > I guess I'll cede the idea that a Star has the same "message > spreading" power as a muggle, since you're quite right-- some of them > are quite the conduits. > > But I won't cede the idea that it's wrong to hold them to standards we > don't hold ourselves to. If someone wants to change the world by > spreading their story, that's all well and good, but it's not a > requirement. > > Free will git-dang *rocks*, my friend, *rocks*. Privacy *fucking rocks* too. > Maybe somehow the two are even related, but that's a whole 'nuther email. > > =]3n > > -- > If what you have done is unjust, you have not succeeded. > Thomas Carlyle > > On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 8:01 AM, Scott Stroz<[email protected]> wrote: >> >> I was not advocating that celebrities _do_ affect change, but that >> they _can_, if they chose to. Oprah is a great, and extreme, example >> (and someone whose audience might rival that of MJ). >> >> I am also not saying that they can 'change the world', but every >> little bit helps. Michale J Fox brought a lot of attention to >> Parkinson's disease, Dick Clark brought a lot of attention to stoke >> patients. MJ could have, if he chose to, brought a lot of attention to >> vitiligo or lupus or child abuse. Would it have completely >> obliterated these from the planet? No, but I would argue if it had >> helped even one person it would have been worth it. People were (maybe >> still are?) paying thousands of dollars on eBay for his old records, >> I'd bet some of those fans may have donated money to charities >> benefiting whatever MJ wanted had he asked them to > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Want to reach the ColdFusion community with something they want? Let them know on the House of Fusion mailing lists Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:299828 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
