Dear CQVibe.com readers,
Between the 1st century B.C. and the 4th century A.D., the public was captivated with watching their heroes kill (and be killed) for the sole purpose of entertainment. Their heroes were the gladiators, and as far as heroes go, they were not actually respected or valued by the society for their feats, but for the vicarious and sadistic satisfaction their feats gave the voyeurs. In a culture that was so dominated by the glory of battle, this spectator-fueled battle for battle’s sake was surely, and disturbingly, the closest the ancient world came to the concept of celebrity that has evolved in our modern day society.
All across the empire, most notably in Rome’s Coliseum, crowds would gather to eat their popcorn and cheer in delight as gladiator after gladiator met his gruesome end. Perhaps, if they were lucky, they could go home with a souvenir when a head or arm got fouled off into the stands. In fact, the impending doom these men faced was what made their lives, their very existence, so compelling in the first place. We could envy their strength and valor (as involuntary as it may have been), while still being comforted by the fact that even these living embodiments of mythological conquest could bleed to death in front of our eyes. How reassuring to discover they were just as human and fragile as us. What a perfect distraction from our own shortcomings and mortality.
Imagine going to a NASCAR race, lured by the guarantee of fiery, deadly crashes and plenty of them in every race. Of course, that would be too controversial, wouldn’t it? Violent movies and video games are a classic standby… but, no, those aren’t REAL people being destroyed, so that won’t quite do the trick. Sports are certainly a modern day metaphor for the gladiators, but with all those pads they just don’t get maimed easily or often enough. Even MMA fights, once bastions of spilled blood and shattered bones, have been heavily regulated and commercialized. So how’s a good ol’ red-blooded American supposed to satisfy his or her burning lust for complete human destruction, eh?
This bloodlust has found its new favorite watering hole in celebrity. Our modern concept of celebrity is, after all, only in its infancy. It used to be that people became well-known for epic accomplishments, such as conquering a continent, or harnessing the power of electricity. It wasn’t until the 40s and 50s that we can begin to see the birth of our modern definition of celebrity, being famous just for being famous. And after just a few short decades, a goofy internet video can get you recognized by more people than even existed on the entire planet during the time of Alexander the Great. We live in an era where the concept of celebrity influences every aspect of our daily lives. In the back of our minds lurks the delusion that true success can’t come without fame, no matter the cost. The market for fame is so demanding that we have devised mechanisms to provide the intoxicating illusion of celebrity to an exponentially growing number of people, through reality television and social networking. We line up like slaves at the gates of the Coliseum, poised to enter the meat grinder, and we do so completely of our own accord. We are all members of the Cult of Celebrity. It is the globe’s newest, fastest growing religion.
Like any religious or political movement in human history, Celebrity’s gods (Vanity, Envy, Lust, Greed) can be appeased only with human sacrifice. Our Coliseum is TMZ, online blogs, and television gossip shows and Perez Hilton is our sad excuse for a Nero. We are filled with glee as we watch celebrities fall from grace, crashing and burning in the most humiliating and unnaturally public ways, often quite literally dead or destroyed.
Certainly, they often put themselves in the crosshairs with their questionable decisions and monstrous egos. After all, they are mere mortals. Do not misinterpret this as a Chris Crocker-esque "Leave the poor celebrities alone!" rant. Simply ask yourself, why do we take comfort in elevating them to gods, inflating their egos with our bizarre infatuation, and then take such pleasure in watching them fall? Think back to the last time an actor, athlete, politician, or other public figure you disliked/envied was publicly disgraced. Be honest, what did you feel? When you heard the news, did you rush to your television or computer to absorb as much details as you could. Or did you head straight to Facebook and Twitter to share the juicy information with the rest of the world?
As Maximus (Russel Crowe) implores the bloodthirsty crowd in Gladiator (film, 2000), "Are you not entertained!?".
At CQVibe.com it is our solemn vow to never pollute your eyeballs and souls with negativity and gossip.We will not write it ourselves, and do not submit it because it will not be posted. Ever. Period.
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celebrity, bloodlust, gladiators, famous, violence... |
