"The Fame Motive"

Andy Warhol said everyone will get their 15 minutes of fame, at least once in their lifetime.  But...at least by TV standards there are a lot of people getting their 15+ minutes on reality shows.

If you took all the TV channels available, all the internet sites, there are literarly thousands if not millions of reality shows.  From surviving the elements to surviving your make up application in your own bathroom. 

I find it facinating that people want to be filmed and then all that film gets edited down to a nano second of some editing guys idea of good entertainment.  A fellow quilter told me that the local news came a filmed her (extensive) Christmas decor for 2 hours...how much ended up on the news...15 seconds.  So, it is surprising to me that people would allow their lives to be edited by someone who doesn't know them or even care...they are the employee of sensational tv.

We as a nation addicted to peeking into someone elses life, to only feeling good about ourselves when we see wack jobs on reality tv.  For the most part I find it boring...that is not to say I don't check into Survivor or Amazing Race but trying to find love, raise a family in front of a nation is ludicrous.

I was sick about the "balloon boy" fiasco.  What kind of adult will he become with a childhood like that.  Kids do not learn by what we tell them...but by watching how we live.  We drink too much...they think drinking is ok...we drive like idiots and yell at people...they yell at their classmates. We watch and cheer for the Ultimate Fighter and they grow up cheering at school yard fight. They watch our every move and are like sponges.

I was raised to fly below the radar.  So the idea of a public 15 mintues of fame is not even a comfortable place for me.  When I do a donation, I don't want anyone to know.  I do it for myself...the only spot light I want shining on me is my own flash light, held by my own hand.