Celebrity. I too have pondered it, discussed it, and participated in it (but as the celebrator and not the celebrant). What do the fans of Twilight, Sports, Sherlock Holmes, Science Fiction, and Michael Jackson have in common?
Greg Nagy teaches a class at Harvard about the concept of "The Hero" in Hellenic Greece. His research started me thinking about Western Civilization and what subtle influences have descended down the generations. Things separate from pilasters, pediments, and politics. Detached even from the words they helped to spawn. These influences are Concepts. Not the kind learned in a book or a civics class, but traits that are almost subconscious and maybe even ancestral. The Hero.
"Hero Worship" is literally worship. In ancient Greece, those who excelled in both military and athletic abilities were dubbed "heroes" and celebrated as such. The games helped to hone martial prowess, yes; but they were also sacred. Athletics in Ancient Greece were not only endorsed by religion, they were part of the religion. Heroes who had passed from this life were prayed to as the gods were prayed to. Shrines were built in their honor, as celebrities who pass now are honored.
I find also parallels between those that worship the famous, and those who participate obsessively in a specific hobby or activity. In the past I have often found such behavior mystifying (especially in myself), but in the last two years new information has come to my attention that builds on what I learned about Greg Nagy's work. Recent studies have shown that humans may be programmed for religion. Not for a specific religion but for anything and everything that fits the parameters of religion, at least from the brain's point of view.
The Red Sox, Star Trek, American Idol, and Fly Fishing are religions. Celebrating celebrity is nothing less than deification. Some say the word "fan" is short for "fanatic."
Evidence:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2009/07/06/ca.im.image.in.tree.kovr
Further Reading:
Fame Junkies by Jake Halpern. The concept of "addiction" works as well as "religion" when applied to celebrity obsession. Professor Stilgoe, I can't guarantee you will enjoy this book as it has been likened to Blink.
Full Disclosure: The author of this blog is a devotee to several religions per the above criteria.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
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If "Hora" is worthy of scholarship, than it is also worthy of its own post outside the context of "celebrity." I would like to post a followup, but it is a matter of time and perhaps competence.
ReplyDeleteConsider this:
"Hora" is associated with the goddess "Hera." It is also the origin of words like hero, hour, and the Spanish word for "now," ahora.
It gives new meaning to phrases like "the hour has come," or "your hour has come." It isn't a sixty minute interval that is being referred to, but destiny.