Worshiping Wealth, and the Wealthy, Fame, and the Famous

 RIHANNA, (sp?), is now "worth" an estimated one point seven billion dollars. (Our "worth" is defined and determined by how much money we have"  This information did not come from her; she mad no pronouncements at a press conference lauding her fame and fortune, and in fact her precise attitude about such matters, about fame and fortune, are unknown to anyone except her. She seems intelligent; perhaps she is entirely focused o her art, and views everything that comes with it as mere incidental factors. If she is intelligent, and wise, that is exactly what she does. Her status as the world's wealthiest female vocalist was made known to the world by none other than ABC News, of mainstream media fame and fortune. ABC news uses more time showing commercials than reporting news, and much of the news it reports is either sensational but irrelevant to most people, or, simply "fluff"; feel good stories intended to lighten the burden of the viewer in absorbing the mostly nightmarish news. But ABC, like all successful news outlets and entertainment based businesses knows where its bread is buttered, know how to make a fast buck. In these United States of  Avarice, its money that matters, and its entertainment which sells. Thus, ABC likes to focus on hot, attractive celebrities, which, the corporate community fully realizes, having been assured by marketing studies and executives of the truth of this, is the key to keeping the attention of the normally inattentive American viewer. It would be wonderful to live in a society in which not only did in which nobody had so much money or so little money that the the exact amount seems irrelevant. Such a society would have the added benefits of greater economic and therefore social stability, much less crime, and better overall health, mental and physical, for its members. But, alas, we are far from achieving such a utopian society, if we ever do. Id we never do, one fears that our excessive greed and tendency to express this trait through sustained competition and corruption might brig about the decline and destruction of civilization, as we know it, such that it is. Such that it is we worship celebrities as Gods; we build monuments to them, grovel at their feet, seeking to have them scribble their names on pieces of paper that we cherish for as long as we live, and bequeath to our descendants like priceless heirlooms. By the time Albert Einstein became an American resident, somewhat by accident, he was already world famous, and was amazed at the difference between the treatment of famous people in Europe and in America. Einstein could make his way around Germany and Europe without attracting much attention; there is no comparable celebrity worship on the continent. the minute he set foot on American soil, people besieged him for his autograph. He remarked that usually the people asking for his autograph had no interest in actually talking to him; the scribbled name was more than sufficient. Requests for his photograph became so frequent that he began to describe himself as a "fashion model".  Now, our technology is making fashion models out of us all. The most frequent type of photograph taken by Americans?  Surely you already know, or can deduce the answer; why, its the "selfie", of course. Nor  is it difficult to ascertain precisely what this says about American culture and society generally. Ask Rihanna. She must surely know.