The Era of the Human Superstar by Ambra Nykol
"We're in the era of the human superstar, but no matter who they are they fall, trying to pull a coup de tat" - the Ambassador
When word first came out that Kobe Bryant could potentially be a convicted rapist, the general population of sold-out purple and gold revelers was quick to jump to his defense. Regardless of what is "truth," the knee-jerk reaction from many was the "Golden Child" could do no wrong - a likely story.
Human nature is predisposed to uncompromising worship. At any particular time, we are bound to give someone or something a place of reverence in our lives it probably doesn't deserve. From athletes, to movie stars, lyricists, and fashion moguls, pop culture worships at the altar of regular people who pass gas, take showers, and still put their pants on one leg at a time. Our "worship" of our idols leads us to believe that they can do no wrong. Now more than ever, it seems being a superstar is a "get out of jail free pass." The new era of celebrity status has cultivated a culture far too willing to dismiss illegal and morally questionable behavior on the part of its "superstars."
The phenomenon is simple: the entertainment industry and mass media conglomerate is less about identifying talent, and more about finding the next big media whore.
A "celebrity" can be fabricated in a matter of calculated moments. Today, a most perfect example of this tragedy can be found in the career of hotel heiress, Paris "I'm a confused girl" Hilton. Hilton, a truly nondescript and average individual owes a great deal of her success to an idiotic, dense, and voyeuristic group of American citizens willing to regularly subject themselves to the antics of a spoiled, rich, white girl. Ms. Hilton is famous for well, being famous. She parlayed her wealth and publicity into a career in the spotlight and now the camera gods (and with her new book recently, the publishing gods) cash-in on her very existence.
Media whoredom is not merely a 21st-century concept. The past decade was also filled with undeserved overnight superstars aplenty. Remember Jesse Camp? Before "American Idol" and "America's Next Top Model", there was MTV's "Wanna Be a VJ". Back in the late ‘90s, some 4,000 "wannabes" lined up outside MTV studios, all hoping to become the next Bill Bellamy, Kennedy, Idalis, or Julie Brown. In other words, they were waiting to become the next washed up "former MTV vee-jay". At the time, a clearly mentally incapacitated individual - aka a "spaz" - by the name of Jesse Camp from Granby, Connecticut beat out the many better-qualified contestants for the coveted vee-jay spot.
The days following Camp's crowning as MTV's newest "future nobody" landed him right in the middle of a pop culture frenzy. Camp's scary face was everywhere, and he was catapulted to short-lived fame.
It is quite clear that both past and present restrictions on what it takes to gain superstar status are limited and few. With what few expectations we do place on those who become our current superstars, it's no wonder our standards are so low when they screw up big time. The celebrity culture is fueled by a generation with their hearts set on exalting obscure individuals in spite of their public downfalls.
Former New Jersey Nets star Jayson Williams was recently convicted of everything but the aggravated manslaughter and assault charges of which he is widely suspected. "Everything but" includes, hindering apprehension, tampering with witnesses, tampering with evidence and fabricating physical evidence. There is now suspicion that he will come out of retirement and head back to the NBA. Will his fan base be upset? Do his fans think he did it? If he did, would they care? Doubtful.
What about Robert Kelly and his 14 counts of child pornography? Let's not fool ourselves here. They had the tape on R. Kelly. Even the well-known comedians had their field day with Kelly's inability to stay away from the younger persuasion. In spite of his recent shallow attempts at cookie-cutter redemption (read: recording a "gospel" song), it is commonly accepted that Kelly is a lightweight pedophile. Regardless of this reality, in the last year, Kelly has seen an NAACP Image Award nomination, an invitation to perform at a Congressional Black Caucus benefit dinner, and an upcoming 40-city fall tour with Jay-Z. Not bad for somebody with fresh mug shots. Apparently, the black community has given R. Kelly a big, fat, superstar pardon.
The list of notable celebrities with unfavorable press and illegal activity is long and growing. Celebrities like O.J. Simpson, Allen Iverson, Martha Stewart, Robert Downey, Jr., 50 Cent, and Eminem have all continued in the spotlight in spite of their major run-ins with the law.
Michael Jackson is perhaps the prime example of superstardom's "get out of jail free" benefits. The now recluse, and eccentric Jackson has fought child sex abuse scandals for years. Interestingly enough, his adoring fan base does not seem to care. Yet, if regular, nobody, "Jo-Jo from the block" came over talking about some "I sleep with boys" nonsense, not only would our society deem that unacceptable, the "Po-Po" would be at his door, 60-deep with flashlights. No matter what color or type of celebrity, it is clear this country has unwritten double standards for members of the celebrity class.
The era of the human superstar is dangerous for a number of reasons, but namely low standards. By condoning bad and questionable behavior of those who influence the masses, we are silently sending the message that humanity has nothing better to offer. Do we really want our young people looking up to rapists, murderers and thieves?
By failing to pass proper judgment on individuals who clearly lack accountability, we insult our own basic intelligence. We do so rather unconsciously by bumping their albums, rockin' their jerseys, purchasing tickets to their movies, buying their paraphernalia, and too frequently giving our superstars the undeserved benefit of the eternally present doubt. Superstars know they can get away with most things and still be embraced by their adoring fans. In fact, in some instances, the popularity of some celebrities is solely determined by their "bad boy/girl" personas.
So what does this mean for the hip-hop generation? The underground aside, superstardom is "where it's at." Hip-hop's not the top selling musical form because it's being perpetuated by a bunch of nobodies. No. The hip-hop generation and all its superstar prophets and messengers, is postured to have more influence than any other generation before it. For this reason alone, we cannot afford to have low standards for leaders. Countering the career critics and naysayers of a movement is tough when the executive team of hip-hop has more DUI's than Bill Clinton has lies.
As a culture in general, we will have to make a decision as to how long we will continue to casually dismiss inappropriate behavior on behalf of those who get our time and treasury. This will mean more than just becoming cognizant of the bad; this will mean enabling ourselves to even consider that the bad could be present. The first step is becoming conscious of the power of our adoring gaze, and seeing celebrities for who they are: fragile people, who are capable of mess, just like anyone else.
Ambra Nykol is a freelance writer living in Seattle. Visit her weblog at www.nykola.com.
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