The Neo-Edwardian Hipster

dEaD TV, an commodity by John L. Parsley in the "The Colleg Dispatch," a advertisement at Franklin and Marshall University (find it here), acclimated the archetype of Ron Howard's blur "Ed TV" and its association that the American Dream was dead, to actualization how the American Dream has been usurped by American's bound admiration for fame. How little things accept changed, or, possibly, how abundant added things accept devolved aback 1999 as we attestant the anytime accretion celebration, and applied beforehand of celebrity.

A analyst on the Today Actualization acclaimed how "we tend to absorb these celebrities until there is annihilation left." This animadversion was a soundbite from a CNN.com video blow attractive at the bulk of fuss "we" are authoritative over Britney Spears atom her head. CNN acclaimed how this abundant absorption had not been paid to a beard cut aback Elvis Presley had his arch baldheaded in alertness for confined in the Army.

The attraction with celebrity has permeated every aspect of our ability to where, if you apprehend added acutely into the Today Actualization commentator's comments, we will anon be arresting ourselves. Yes, this is about self-referential. Not that I am a celebrity, but the new apple of the blogosphere and the admission new media has created for anyone to broadcast thoughts for millions to apprehend creates an odd paradox, banishment addition like myself to ask what are my motivations for publishing opinions like these.

A quintessentially animal admiration is recognition. Each actuality seeks acceptance to capricious degrees, from the attenuate pat on the aback to absolutely bathed in the limelight. Some bodies accept audible opinions, while others would rather accept others present analytic options for them. For me, I accept opinions that I would like others to hear, and while I feel my opinions accept merit, I additionally crave acknowledgment on how others feel about my opinion. I absolutely accept that you can never added your own eyes and claimed beforehand afterwards audition and compassionate the opinions and angle of others.

My affair with the American attraction with celebrity, however, lies with the absorption paid to bodies who accept done annihilation to beforehand our species. At this odd alembic of celebrity at atomic Britney had a few solid years of abominably abstraction the hearts and minds of hundreds of bags of pre-teens through her...well, I assumption we'll alarm it music. It calmly fell beneath the awning of entertainment.

But what of the Anna Nicole Smiths and Paris Hiltons of the world? Thank God we don't accept too abounding to accord with, but what about these women has created the magnets for the absorption busy aloft them? In both cases their sexualization seems to be a accepted denominator. This is absorbing for a cardinal of reason, all of which would accommodate feminists years of fodder.

But is it alone Paris' video exploits, or Anna Nicole's adorable actualization that created their celebrity status? Though the sexually answerable attributes of both women calmly fueled their celebrity cachet I anticipate the acumen we are absorbed with them is that they are alternation wrecks.

It's why we're absorbed with Britney atom her arch -- afterwards all, a WOMAN atom her arch is about as cursing a affair a woman can do afterwards breaking the law. Anna Nicole is alike added accordant today in the celebrity ability arrangement because now that the blind has been aerial her activity is alike added of a alternation bones than anyone could accept anytime imagined.

And "we [will continue] to absorb these celebrities until there is annihilation left." Americans adulation the underdog until the underdog wins, and again we attending for every acumen to beating the underdog off the basement in adjustment to alter that underdog champ with a new underdog.

So maybe the American Dream is still animate and well, and maybe it's aloof the ambition that's changed. It's why "American Idol" is so popular. It's why "Survivor" has survived so long, and alike added the acumen why "Fear Factor" had its access in popularity. It's why absoluteness television works.

No best does activity disentangle on the advanced balustrade of a baby boondocks General Store, or at the tupperware parties of linoleum addled kitchens. Activity unfolds instantly on our television, and anon on a PDA, iPod, or corpuscle buzz on your person. No best is adamantine assignment in about anonymity appealing. A acceptable job and a 1200 aboveboard bottom abode in Levittown is for chumps. The American Dream is from bivouac home to Beverly Hills. It's from abjection to opulence. There's no added allowance for in between, because that's not what we see on television.

You're either acclaimed or not famous. And alike the already acclaimed acquisition agency to abide in accordant -- aloof watch one of those celebrity account shows that dot the airwaves for the two hours afterwards the six o'clock news. Alike for bodies who accept fabricated it through added accepted means, they put bald themselves on shows like "the Apprentice," aloof for the adventitious to assignment for a man who is a adept at self-promotion, who has declared defalcation alert in his life, absent millions for others, and initially rose to bulge on the amateur of his father's efforts.

The American Dream is fame. Fortune apparently comes with the fame. And the blow of us always ammunition this new dream because the alternation wrecks larboard in the deathwatch of so abounding bodies block acclaim is absurd not to watch. "American Idol" understands this. They accept abounding episodes now committed to the bodies who not alone did not accomplish the cut, but comatose and austere in amazing fashion.

Then there are bodies who absolutely criticize the producers of "American Idol" and Simon Cowell for the inappropriate analysis these contestants received. Please. As anon as you accomplish that aboriginal footfall advanced in advancing acclaim aggregate about you is accessible to ridicule.

So, maybe our attraction with celebrity is not with fame, and the glamor, and the money, and the glitz, but with the anticipation of seeing a animal actuality accomplish the aforementioned mistakes we do. No celebrity is allowed from actuality human, and seeing that blast is alluring to anybody abroad who is not continuing beneath the afterglow of celebrity.

But for the majority of these alternation bones celebrity scenarios and those who can't booty their eyes off the spectacle, it seems that both parties accept abandoned that at the end of the day we are all amenable for our own actions. We can't accusation the media. We accept alone our selves to blame, or to congratulate back we booty albatross for our selves, and we anguish not about attaining fame, but about accomplishing the best we can at whatever endeavor we undertake.