Entertainment

People are WAY too involved with what celebrities are doing. I mean come on we had a Royal week for Prince William and Kate?!?! They were even discussing it on the local radio. My life is far too busy to care.

The people who get hooked into this idolism, including the envy and lust are really the victims here. The media and mainstream society is a breeding ground for this in the way they elevate some people to the level of gods. It's the system that's sick. No matter what acting gig you did, if you did it well, it's something of which you should be proud. YOU did the acting, not someone through whom you live vicariously. The only people I really try to learn a lot about are the characters I play. What makes things worse is the negativity from those who live vicariously and from the industry itself, constantly promoting the nonsense that you have to "make it" by a certain age, that you're not a "star" if not enough people recognize you, etc.--in other words, constantly putting down actors by telling them, "you're not one of the special ones." The only time I plan to quit acting is when I'm dead. As you can see, this dumbs down the entire culture. Being also into astronomy, I'm fascinated by the planet Pluto, which I think is much more interesting than any person. Notably, Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930 with only a high school diploma, spent his teen years teaching himself trigonometry and astronomy for enjoyment. I encourage you to help your niece and daughter find other passions, those where they can be active participants. If not algebra, maybe something they don't associate with classwork or homework. Best of luck!

There are no such things as "celebrities" or "royals." All people are created equal and are of equal worth. Showering certain people randomly favored by the media with money and attention not only makes no sense; it encourages people to pursue gimmicks rather than do something genuine to attain public accolades. I am an actress and writer, and while I love performing, no one deserves millions of dollars or to be worshipped as an idol because they can perform. "Celebrity culture" is idol worship, period, because it amounts to worshipping people, often people who have not accomplished anything noteworthy. It deprives genuinely talented people of opportunities by creating a false distinction between "big names" and "everyone else," giving preferential opportunities to the first category and denying the same opportunities to those deemed in the second category, even when the latter are more skilled and talented. "Celebrity culture" is toxic for other reasons. It fosters passivity by encouraging people to live vicariously through others rather than seeking their own meaningful, exciting experiences. It distracts people from real issues affecting them, thereby helping keep in power those politicians who support a corrupt system that benefits the wealthy few at the expense of everyone else. The word "star" was taken from astronomy, where it means an object that is self-luminous, or produces its own light. Notice that the light comes from within, not from outside, as for an object like a planet that only reflects the light of another body. We are all stars because we all can generate our own light; we don't need validation by the media. People need to stop being planets, letting their lives revolve around others, and get in touch with the star within.