The Oscars

I don’t watch the Oscars. There I said it out loud. I also don’t watch the Golden Globes, the Peoples Choice Awards or any of the other “entertainers honoring entertainers” award shows. I don’t care much if they are sports stars, music stars, movie stars or any other ‘stars’ of the entertainment class. All of those ‘shows’ are just self congratulatory self-love fests of ego stroking.

Part of my disdain for these public shows of self adulation is rooted in my general apathy toward the entertainment industry as a whole (which in my mind includes all of the groups mentioned above) and partially because nothing that happens in the lives of highly paid, generally over indulged stars has any affect on my life (unless one of them happens to decide to give me a few million dollars). It is really sad that more people can tell you who JayLo is currently dating/married to/going with/whatever than can tell you the name of the Secretary of State of the USA or has a clue about the current political scandal in Canada.

While we are on the subject, I really do not care what Sean Penn, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Alec Baldwin, Kirsten Dunst, Ted Nugent or any other celebrity/star thinks. All of these people are paid to entertain me and that is all that they should do. Anything they say that is outside of a paid performance should carry the same weight and get the same attention as that of any random, anonymous person off of the street. To allow these folks to comment on any subject outside of their chosen field of pursuit and treat it as some sort of insightful addition to the debate would be hysterical if not for the fawning multitudes that fall all over themselves to drink from these self anointed fountains of wisdom.

I am not saying that this group of people can not contribute to the debate on any subject or that they should not be allowed to talk at all. I am just saying that their comments should be treated just as those from any other random person and not as a holy mandate. You would not normally ask your mailman for information on spinal surgery. You would not normally ask your doctor about setting up a collage trust. Why would you think that an entertainer would have much relevant to say concerning world affairs or politics? Is the thought that because they are so wealthy that they can afford to spend more time actually learning all about these subjects and can spend huge amounts of time discussing the finer points with other deep thinkers? I think not. Me thinks it is just because they are ‘stars’. Well this is still America and anyone has the right to say whatever they want but I have a right too. The right not to have to listen to them exercising theirs.