Why We Need Miss Bad Media Karma

It is unfortunate that I did not retain more of what was said last Friday. The information that we received on fair use will undoubtedly be of great assistance in the future. But my being rather exhausted prevented me from absorbing much more than Brittney Spears and her impressive and hateful status as an icon of the American celebrity identity. 

I never thought I would write a serious blog on Brittney Spears. But to say that I dismiss her as another manufactured pop princess is untrue; Brittney is a symbol of individualism, that rebel spirit, and of course, sex. 

Personally, I admire Ms. (is it Mrs now?) Spears. Regardless of whether one finds her talented, it is undeniable that she has captivated the music scene longer than any of her peers. Conceded, there are bands that have existed longer than she has been alive, but they are of a different genre, a genre that intrinsically lasts longer than do the fifteen-minute-of-fame pop stars. 

Let me say that Brittney is a goddess. She has created a dynasty for herself. Certainly, she does not always seem to think in a way that by any means exhibits rational thought, but her ability to resurrect herself, and even do so in a way that further enhances her image, is totally amazing. The lyrics of her song turn her downfall into a rise that flaunts her social agility; she has climbed the ladder and fallen all the way back down, only to fly even faster back up.

There is no political equivalent to Brittney. Obama may seem like a rockstar, but when one’s peers consist largely of elderly white males, such a feat is not so difficult to achieve. Plus, in politics, one fall from grace takes years of compensation. There is no resurrection for the politician. A Brittney-esque rise is not possible without the help of someone else, or someone else’s campaign. And though Sarah Palin may be perceived by some to be another glamorous figure, the faster they rise, the harder they fall. 

Politicians are not celebrities. They can be glamorous, and they can be sexy. I think  Senator Obama is quite sexy myself. More importantly, they are famous and powerful. But although two characteristics might be shared by the Hollywood elite, they are still two distinctly different types of people. We need look no further than their motives to perceive the difference. 

John McCain was wrong when he accused Obama of being a celebrity. Barack and Paris have nothing in common. The tactics that McCain used failed because he failed to differentiate between the public servant and the movie star, a gulf that can seem much more broad, depending on the terminology applied. Obama may be famous, good looking, and powerful, but he is clearly not driven by money, glamour, or prestige. His career as a community organizer will attest to that. 

Bottom line, politicians and celebrities are significantly dissimilar. The sense of service to humanity is not obligatory for the stars, though I am happy to see that many of them participate anyway. If celebrities and politicians were the same, then President Bush would be a wrestling champion, the likes of President Macho Camacho in the movie Idiocracy. While such a world would be mildly entertaining, it would also be doomed. I guess its a good thing that celebrities exist after all.