Celebrity For Profit

Back in the day when most folks were either farmers or very small business people, political and economic power were in the hands of the hereditary large land owning nobility.

After the industrial revolution, when corporations were invented and began to grow large, political and economic power shifted to the corporate elite, even as democracy began to replace manarchy. In either monarchy or democracy, real political power is in the hands of those who possess the wealth.

American celebrity culture does the same thing to the teeming masses as religion did for centuries; keeps them distracted, and harmless. Celebrity is the prime tool corporations use to sell us whatever they wish, whether we need it or not.

Celebrities humanize corporate commodities, celebrities present a friendly face of our corporate masters. In his book "Celebrity" Chris Rojek calls celebrity culture "the cult of distraction that valorizes the superficial and the gaudy", and ignores the disintegration of culture, and the increasing separation of the consumers of culture from the realities of that culture.

All the while, material wealth trickles down to us in barely sufficient quantities to keep us yearning for more, and willing to work for more, at jobs which transfer most of their value added to the owners.

It was emphasized that the funeral of Whitney Houston would be a small, private affair. It ended up being televised to most of the world.  It seems there is no end to celebrity for profit.

Please scroll down for the other articles in today's issue of The Truthless Reconciler! Thanks!