OUT OF BALANCE CELEBRITY CULTURE
The lessons we should be learning from the saga of Will and Jada
Will and Jada… Will and Jada…
There has been a lot of ire thrown at this couple, primarily directed at Jada, in recent days due to Jada’s press tour for her memoir, Worthy. The public rendering of their relationship has been baffling over the years. It’s been hard to make heads or tails of it. Jada’s latest revelations seemed to have left folks even more confused to a point that they claim to be annoyed and tired of hearing about the two of them. In my opinion, this reaction to her book release is because we were hoping that Jada would provide the insight that would make Will’s shocking behavior at the 2022 Oscars more understandable. Instead, her revelations supposedly leave everyone even more at a loss and irritated to point that they are “done” with them or more specifically that they are “done” with Jada.
On one hand, I can understand wanting to make sense of the slap seen and heard around the world. It was disturbing to witness someone, especially someone as likeable as Will, unravel and do something COMPLETELY out of character. It makes sense to want some closure and in my opinion there are only two ways to obtain that closure. One is for Chris to publicly forgive Will. If Chris lets us know he’s good with Will, then that will put the rest of us at ease. The second way is to fully understand what caused Will to snap.
Now on the other hand, I’m left to wonder why we are so fascinated with Will and Jada specifically and why celebrity news/gossip captivates us in general. To me celebrity culture is so out of balance and out of control that we aren’t even too keen on what we should be learning from this fall out. In order to bring celebrity culture into proper balance celebrities, media and fans need to make some changes.
First let’s address us as fans. We need to step out of fantasy mode with these people. For the time we are enjoying their performances, let the fantasy run wild. But once the show is over, let it go. We all know they are human beings. We know this to be true, and it is past time for us to behave like we know this to be true. Lastly, we should also not abide by the idea that this crossing of boundaries just comes with the territory for celebrities. That’s the maladaptive mindset that the media wants us to ascribe to justify abusing their power and influence.
Speaking of the media, the messy media, if any institution abuses its power, it’s the media. They are the purveyors of our discourse and they have the sole discretion as to what is considered newsworthy. But even after seeing how many lives have been ruined because of their coverage, the media has shown no interest in letting up. In fact, it has become more incessant and with the advent of social media, the number of people seeking celebrity scoop has grown exponentially. Celebrity news and gossip is a cash cow. Why? Because it is viewed as mere entertainment and we value being entertained even at a someone else’s expense. Humanity is not part of the equation. Journalists presumably are supposed to operate with a set of ethics, but not everyone in the media serves in the role of a journalist. Though I’ve never watched Making a Murderer, the concept of the show reminds me of the media. The media claims to seek the truth and report the facts. However, what they tend to do is spin facts to fit a certain narrative. They already have in mind the story they want to tell and will insert the facts wherever they seem to fit best within that narrative. They seek to establish a headline that the audience can take and run with.
This needs to change posthaste. The media often blames the audience saying that they put out what we want to consume. Actually we consume it because that’s what’s on the menu. The media determines what’s on the menu. It’s an insane expectation for audiences to have a healthy and humane view of celebrities, when all it is fed is a hyper-palatable junk news. The media needs to change the menu. The media should also abandon their indecent proposal to celebrities making them feel compelled to overshare and be salacious in order to be successful in the realms of entertainment and sports. That indecent proposal being that they can make or break a celebrity’s career through their coverage or lack of coverage.
On the celebrity front, there are plenty of examples of athletes, actors, and singers that fly under the radar personally but maintain their relevance and influence with their fans. Fans show up because they appreciate the work product. We really don’t need any more than that. If your personal story is inspirational and you’ve demonstrated some growth, then great. However, If your personal world is chaotic, messy and you disclose it to the public to be “relevant,” all you are doing is emitting that chaotic, messy energy onto the public. And it’s simply not necessary. It is indeed self-inflicted. Some of your fans may ride with you for a while, but it can backfire horribly. We still don’t know if Will’s career will fully recover.
His audience, his fans, the people that PAID to see him DO NOT CARE about his personal concerns.
The last point I’ll make on the celebrity’s responsibility is that the we often hear them complain that they aren’t treated like they are human. In my opinion, it’s because fans and media relate to the your work not you as the person. We essentially visit you on the job. I heard a comedian tell a story about hearing some terrible news just before going on stage and how he he had to put his feelings on hold because “the audience does not care.” His audience, his fans, the people that paid to see him DO NOT CARE about his personal concerns. As trite as this next example may sound it’s still valid. When Babyface and Teddy Riley met for their initial VERZUZ and Teddy’s sound was not ready, the audience (his fans) ripped him to shreds. To me it was a very odd reaction because they weren’t at a loss for anything. They were in the comfort of their own home listening for free but all they wanted was the work. It does not matter how much of your personal story and how much of your authentic self you share or the fact that your humanity warrants a measure of grace, you are wanted for your work. No more; no less. So don’t feel compelled to give more.
Onward to Harmonious Balance,
Johanna
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