I like to think that I am an academic who over the last couple of years has successfully learnt to broaden and challenge the way in which I think and look at things in life. Before I started college in 2006, I would have been categorised as a passive citizen who didn't question anything. Not so long ago I considered auditioning for the reality TV show like Big Brother...now i'm glad I didn't. I believe as an academic you would be 'dumbing yourself down' if you were to bow down to the demands of big brother producers.
As stated on my law teacher's coffee cup, "Celebrity culture: I'm an academic...get me out of here." One might think this means celebrities are dumb and fake or that celebrities are missing a certain 'something' that an academic has. Either way I think it's a funny and fair comment because as my Media A Level textbook says 'there is a celebrity cult within society'.
You only have to see this in Celebrity Big Brother at the moment. As an avid fan, I can see that the dynamics in the house changes constantly mainly to the celebrities favour. In comparison to the ordinary big brother whereby producers portrays and edits footage to their satisfaction, it seems in this edition celebrities have the power. Late evictee La Toya mentioned she would only appear on the show if she were to receive £100,000 (more than other housemates) and footage showed her wearing makeup. Talk about a diva attitude.
Which brings me to say 'why do people like myself watch and enjoy the show? And more importantly vote to keep such people like La Toya in the show? The metaphor 'cult' cleverly illustrates how celebrities have the power to make people hate them, yet aspire to be like them.
It's one thing that I will be debating in Monday's lecture.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Good debate today by the way....
Post a Comment