HOW DO WE REALLY KNOW ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC EYE? OR FOR THAT MATTER, ANYONE, INCLUDING OURSELVES?

How do we really know anyone in the Public Eye? Or for that matter, anyone, including ourselves?

 

News Articles? Speeches? Interview? Gossip?

 

                          

We all know that gossip is a bad thing, but somehow it seems to be a part of human nature.

Gossip is probably as old as we are as a species. What purpose could it have survived for our survival?

I question things like this because of my belief in evolutionary biology and psychology for the survival of our species.

I suppose, when we lived either in caves or small nomadic groups, we were highly insulated from each other. Except when food was scarce and we went into someone else’s territory. At least that was war for actual survival. We definitely needed to be wary of strangers.

I don’t know how small or large an actual tribe may have been. So, I can make up “facts”.  They could have ranged from 10 to 1,000 men, women and children. But the numbers don’t matter. The behavior of the people in them does.

Here are some ideas about people in groups.

1. Trust is an important part of living in a group. You need to know that everyone has your back. Possibly, the smaller the group, the more true that is.

2. Every group needs a leader. Without plans and strategies you can’t survive.

3. Leaders have power. Power is desirable to certain people.

4. In order to obtain power, a person must show dominance.

5. Secrets are weak spots. All of us have secrets. That makes us vulnerable.

6. Secrets are hard to keep. The only way a secret can be kept, is if two people know about it, and one of them is dead.

7. People trade secrets like currency. It is a way to obtain intimacy. This is what gossip is.

8. People are jealous creatures and maybe want some power of their own.

 

I’m having trouble writing this.

I want to put it into my theory and hypothesis format, but whenever I’m writing sounds too stilted, or formal and isn’t going where I want it to. It’s not writers block, more like Writers River. It meanders without going to a destination.

 

So, I’ll forget format, and write what I’m thinking. Trust me, it will be easier on you. LOL.

Another digression.*

I remember the old movie, called Blaze. Blaze was played by Lolita Davidovich and Paul Newman played Earl Long, Governor of Louisiana.

Blaze’s mama’s advice to Blaze on leaving home was, “RUN -when any man says, “trust me”. Since then, I can’t help but notice when someone uses that expression, and I ask myself “why would they need to tell me that?”

 

 

So it doesn’t matter if you do or you don’t trust me.

{Meandering river}.

 

THEORY?

 

 

 

Gossip is usually accepted as truth. Especially when people want to believe something negative, particularly about someone they don’t like. Gossip is a tool used by people who want power, to enhance their own image and use it in their quest for dominance. Or to ruin the person in power so someone else can get it.

 

HYPOTHESIS:

In modern society, gossip is a multimillion dollar industry. It needs not to be based on facts. People in power use gossip to manipulate the feelings of people in their society. If I want to ruin someone, I will release secrets to the press and manipulate the way the “facts” are presented.

I think that’s about as close to what I want to say as I’m going to get.

THE MEDIA AND PLEASE DON’T CALL IT LIBERAL. THAT’S JUST ANOTHER MANIPULATION.

The media is currently biased. It can be conservative, liberal, neocon, leftist, right-wing and downright nuts.

 

A FEW PEOPLE OWN THE MEDIA AND ONE THING I DO KNOW, IT’S NOT ME.

I know I’m biased and opinionated. That was what editorials used to be for. The news used to be told with facts. Of course, no matter who looks at these “facts,” will be  the one able to determine what to use or discard, so the media was probably only slightly less biased back in the olden days. And there were unwritten rules about what they could and could not write about, including who they could not write certain things about. I.e. No one was ever going to write about the extra marital affairs of our presidents. That sure changed.

 

CELEBRITY WORSHIP AND GOSSIP:

I know it’s not just Americans. People all around the globe develop heroes and villains.

Since we have no “royalty” in the states, we have created our own class system.  Actors, Singers, Rappers, Tappers, Sportsmen (and some Sportswomen), Writers, Broadcasters, People who are famous for being famous (LOL), Murderers, Conmen, and an assortment of all kinds are reported about.

Mark Twain once said that the only thing worse than being gossiped about, was not being gossiped about. I guess that goes with there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

 

        NAMING NAMES THAT COME TO MIND.

O.J.  Lance Armstrong   Daryl Strawberry Kobe Bryant   Mike Tyson   Jessica Simpson  Rob Lowe   Robert Downey Jr.

Bill Cosby   Mel Gibson   Thomas Gibson   Johnny Depp

Winona Ryder   Martha Stewart   Imelda Marcos   Amber Heard

Kate Moss   Lindsey Lohan   Whitney Houston   Little Kim

Chris Brown   Too Pak Shakur   Angelina Jolie  Billy  Bob Thornton

Nicole Brown Simpson    Pete Rose  Barry Bonds Tom Cruise

  John Travolta      Justin Bieber Michael Vick  Mark McGuire

Alex Rodriguez  Josh Duggar  and anyone you remember that I don’t.

Digression* I wanted to make a list of names and then put them into a kind of rhyme, like Billy Joel did with “We didn’t start the Fire”. This is why people like me don’t finish things quickly. Sidetracks. Or, as, I’d like to call them Sidetraps.

 

WHEN AM I GETTING TO A POINT?

 

Now might be a good time.

 

PEDESTALS, POSITIONS & PROBABILITIES

People in power. People we admire. Those are usually people who have influence over us.

Looking at the above list you’ll see many sports heroes, movie stars, fashion icons, TV personalities and some musicians. [Remember my memory is poor so don’t feel offended if I left out someone you know is important].

People who are famous because of a talent or skill, which we, the ordinary individual don’t have. Or maybe we do, but just never got famous for it.

As “leaders” of some kind, we admire and look up to them. Remember the term “hero worship”?

They may have those talents and abilities, but they are still human beings. Maybe because they made it and we didn’t, we want them to be better. At everything.

And, maybe, just maybe, some of us are jealous of some of them. After all, they seem to have it all. Beauty, success, money, fame and all the things that come along with it.

 

HERE’S THE CATCH:

They each have a personality just like we do. It’s individual to them and we don’t know what it is. We really don’t know anything about them except for what we see and hear about their non-work lives, from the media.  And it’s the media’s job to make money. Damn, it usually comes down to that, right?

So, if you can get a photo of someone topless, or get some good gossip, you put it out there. I will assume that the more reputable outlets at least try to verify what they tell us. But, does it matter? Once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it.

 

Question.  If you are a public person, are you not entitled to a private life?

I don’t have the answer. It is a controversial question. I waver back and forth on it myself.

I do know, that I would not like all my vulnerabilities known to everyone I know. You could tell the world, but only people who know me would be interested.

But if everyone knows you, then everyone is interested.  

{You may have noticed that I’ve let politicians out of this. That’s another category on its own.}

Do we need to know if Jennifer Anniston is pregnant? Or why someone is getting a divorce? Or who is cheating on their spouse, or if they’re gay? No. It’s none of our business.

BUT WHAT ABOUT CRIMINAL ACTS?

This is a little bit of a greyer area. People can make all sorts of allegations. They may or may not be true. It would be nice if we didn’t find out about these allegations about illegal activity until criminal charges were filed.  Although the rich and famous don’t often get charged. I could go off on a sidetrap on that, but maybe I’ll remember to blog on it.

I’m thinking about Bill Cosby. That’s a heart breaker. Worshipped and adored and all the while, he’s drug raping women. That’s unreal. A man with real power so the women were afraid to talk. Or they were paid to shut up. This is a crime.

Then, Michael Jackson. Was he or wasn’t he? Did he or didn’t he? Nothing was proven in any trial, but we all took sides and believed, one way or the other. The crime here, is that since nothing was proven we should have accepted the court’s decision. Something else to think about is how once your name has been sullied, you have real trouble trying to get it clean again.

Johnny Depp. Is he a wife beater? Or maybe an alcoholic who beats his wife when he’s drunk? Does that make him a better or worse actor? As a person, well, that’s a different story. Does he get paid to be a person or an actor?

 

DO I HAVE A POINT?

Yup. I do. We hold people on pedestals to higher standards. That isn’t fair. They’re really just people. Except, maybe, since they chose to be famous or were lucky enough to become “someone” who is in the public eye, it is fair.  

The probability is that once we know who they are as people, we are bound to be disappointed. Not because they are bad. They just aren’t who we would like them to be. Or imagined them to be. Or needed them to be.

 A somewhat different issue is that I believe that all people who commit criminal acts should suffer the consequences. I also believe that gossip about who’s cheating on whom, who is a cheap bastard, who is ugly without makeup, well that’s none of anyone’s business. I don’t look so hot when I get up in the morning either. I don’t cheat, although I may occasionally lust in my heart, like Jimmy Carter. I’m not cheap but I am moody and even though I love my friends, I don’t call them. That’s bad. And since it doesn’t affect you, do you care? Then why would you care if I said the same things about Meryl Streep?

CONCLUSION:     (finally)

 

People who live in glass house shouldn’t throw stones. People who live in rubber houses shouldn’t throw anything because it will bounce back and hit them.

And finally. Don’t believe everything you see or hear. It may just be someone trying to manipulate you. I am. I’m trying to open your mind. I hope that’s okay. If not. Just ignore me. My husband does.

 

 

 

                                     Thanks for Reading.