dEaD TV, an article by John L. Parsley in the "The Colleg Dispatch," a publication at Franklin and Marshall University (find it here), used the example of Ron Howard's film "Ed TV" and its implication that the American Dream was dead, to show how the American Dream has been usurped by American's unrelenting desire for fame. How little things have changed, or, possibly, how much further things have devolved since 1999 as we witness the ever increasing celebration, and practical deification of celebrity.

A commentator on the Today Show noted how "we tend to consume these celebrities until there is nothing left." This comment was a soundbite from a CNN.com video clip looking at the amount of fuss "we" are making over Britney Spears shaving her head. CNN noted how this much attention had not been paid to a hair cut since Elvis Presley had his head shaved in preparation for serving in the Army.

The obsession with celebrity has permeated every aspect of our culture to where, if you read more deeply into the Today Show commentator's comments, we will soon be consuming ourselves. Yes, this is almost self-referential. Not that I am a celebrity, but the new world of the blogosphere and the access new media has created for anyone to publish thoughts for millions to read creates an odd paradox, forcing someone like myself to ask what are my motivations for publishing opinions like these.

A quintessentially human desire is recognition. Each person seeks recognition to varying degrees, from the subtle pat on the back to fully bathed in the limelight. Some people have distinct opinions, while others would rather have others present logical options for them. For me, I have opinions that I would like others to hear, and while I feel my opinions have merit, I also crave feedback on how others feel about my opinion. I fully believe that you can never further your own vision and personal growth without hearing and understanding the opinions and views of others.

My issue with the American obsession with celebrity, however, lies with the attention paid to people who have done nothing to advance our species. At this odd cauldron of celebrity at least Britney had a few solid years of unfortunately molding the hearts and minds of hundreds of thousands of pre-teens through her...well, I guess we'll call it music. It easily fell under the umbrella of entertainment.

But what of the Anna Nicole Smiths and Paris Hiltons of the world? Thank God we don't have too many to deal with, but what about these women has created the magnets for the attention garnished upon them? In both cases their sexualization seems to be a common denominator. This is interesting for a number of reason, all of which would provide feminists years of fodder.

But is it solely Paris' video exploits, or Anna Nicole's centerfold appearance that created their celebrity status? Though the sexually charged nature of both women easily fueled their celebrity status I think the reason we are fascinated with them is that they are train wrecks.

It's why we're fascinated with Britney shaving her head -- after all, a WOMAN shaving her head is about as blasphemous a thing a woman can do without breaking the law. Anna Nicole is even more relevant today in the celebrity culture scheme because now that the veil has been lifted her life is even more of a train wreck than anyone could have ever imagined.

And "we [will continue] to consume these celebrities until there is nothing left." Americans love the underdog until the underdog wins, and then we look for every reason to knock the underdog off the pedestal in order to replace that underdog victor with a new underdog.

So maybe the American Dream is still alive and well, and maybe it's just the goal that's changed. It's why "American Idol" is so popular. It's why "Survivor" has survived so long, and even more the reason why "Fear Factor" had its burst in popularity. It's why reality television works.

No longer does life unfold on the front porch of a small town General Store, or at the tupperware parties of linoleum floored kitchens. Life unfolds instantly on our television, and soon on a PDA, iPod, or cell phone on your person. No longer is hard work in relative anonymity appealing. A good job and a 1200 square foot house in Levittown is for chumps. The American Dream is from trailer home to Beverly Hills. It's from poverty to opulence. There's no more room for in between, because that's not what we see on television.

You're either famous or not famous. And even the once famous find ways to remain in relevant -- just watch one of those celebrity gossip shows that dot the airwaves for the two hours after the six o'clock news. Even for people who have made it through more conventional means, they put bare themselves on shows like "the Apprentice," just for the chance to work for a man who is a master at self-promotion, who has declared bankruptcy twice in his life, lost millions for others, and initially rose to prominence on the shoulders of his father's efforts.

The American Dream is fame. Fortune theoretically comes with the fame. And the rest of us continually fuel this new dream because the train wrecks left in the wake of so many people chasing fame is impossible not to watch. "American Idol" understands this. They have full episodes now dedicated to the people who not only did not make the cut, but crashed and burned in spectacular fashion.

Then there are people who actually criticize the producers of "American Idol" and Simon Cowell for the inappropriate treatment these contestants received. Please. As soon as you make that first step forward in pursuing fame everything about you is open to ridicule.

So, maybe our obsession with celebrity is not with fame, and the glamor, and the money, and the glitz, but with the prospect of seeing a human being make the same mistakes we do. No celebrity is immune from being human, and seeing that crash is fascinating to everyone else who is not standing under the glow of celebrity.

But for the majority of these train wreck celebrity scenarios and those who can't take their eyes off the spectacle, it seems that both parties have forgotten that at the end of the day we are all responsible for our own actions. We can't blame the media. We have only our selves to blame, or to congratulate when we take responsibility for our selves, and we worry not about attaining fame, but about doing the best we can at whatever endeavor we undertake.

originally published at: http://bentspoon.net/content/view/55/26/