Travel Blog - Part One

Travel Blog – Spain - 10th November 2011

Yuri Gagarin was the first human being to both travel into space and to orbit the earth, aboard a Russian capsule named the Vostok, in 1961. Following the successful mission, he was widely quoted as having said “I don't see any god up here” during his sojourn in the cosmos; a common atheist and agnostic affirmation which adorns countless t-shirts and desktop wallpapers these days. As with so many of these all too convenient and well placed slogans, Gagarin never actually uttered these words. He was raised in the Russian Orthadox faith and as far as we know, he retained his belief in the supernatural until his tragic and untimely death in 1968 during a routine test flight. But before I discovered that Gagarin had been misquoted, I too had felt quite inspired and nourished by those six simple, yet all-encompassing words. They rang true with what I had felt for a long time.

As I type these words, I am sitting almost twelve-hundred miles from Dublin (I am not in space). Thanks to our wonderful family, we are lucky enough to be back in our home-from-home, Marbella; in southern Spain. As promised, this will be the post about my immeasurable love for Spain, it's wonderful people and for exploring this breath-taking world of ours*. I intend to write intermittently during our stay in Andalucia to try to record as many of those incidental but special moments that are all too easily forgotten and overshadowed by the time the suitcases are being unpacked, as well as trying to give an overall view of the more indelible reasons that will hopefully explain my love for this country.

*Don't expect a 'normal' holiday blog!

But for now, back to Yuri Gagarin. Why did I even mention a quote, wrongly attributed to an expired Russian astronaut? Let me explain....

I have written previously about my wanderlust and my love for flying in particular. No matter how many times I have been priviledged enough to be able to travel somewhere by air, it has never failed to completely astound and captivate me. I think the initial pulse-quickening sensation begins at the first glance of the airport... the intoxicating smell of the aeroplane fuel, and is rapidly heightened when I catch sight of one of those monstrous flying machines. I'm sure you know enough about the the basic history of flight and how astonishing the early contributions of Leonardo DaVinci, George Cayley and of course, the Wright brothers were in getting us to the point of aeronautical sophistication we are at today. It makes me so incredibly proud to be a part of the human race and to be able to say I am made of the same stuff as people who have created something as innovative and indomitable as these pieces of engineering genius.

The real christmas morning feeling comes at that slight pause right before take off. That moment right before the roar from the jet engines errupts and the thrust pushes you back against your seat.... as if the plane were an athlete taking one last deep breath before the crack of the starting pistol. But as I glance back momentarily into the cabin, I notice that at least 80% of my fellow passengers are either talking, reading magazines/newspapers, or staring with glazed expressions at nothing at all. (There are also a group of about 12 lairy Dublin lads, drunk and already being obnoxious and annoying. It's 7:30am).

It's not a huge plane, a modest Airbus A320, so pretty much everyone could see through a window and watch this stunning winter sunrise as our own beautiful country slips gently away through golden light and cotton wool-clouds; if they wanted to. I do realise that people are constantly distracted by their own stresses and concerns, that maybe the person next to them started the conversation and otherwise they might indeed be looking at the view with wonderment. Or maybe even that they are nervous or fearful about flying which counteracts any potential for fascination at anything related to aviation but I still don't understand why that percentage is so high.

Once boarding has FINALLY finished and everyone has FINALLY stopped faffing and sat down, and once we have taxied to the point of take off, I will not be moved, spoken to or distracted! To be lucky enough to be sitting where I am sitting right now is a priviledge that so many people will pass an entire lifetime having never experienced. I am not going to waste it. But as awesome and  mezmerising as watching the people, houses, roads, towns, mountains and oceans disappear and reappear through layer upon layer of cirrus and cumulus clouds is, I am strongly reminded of Yuri Gagarin's misquote “I don't see any god up here”. What you can see, while ascending into the air, propelled by jet engines and the help of the scientifically measured, controlled use of airflow, in one of these marvelous attestations to the accomplishments of the homo-sapien, is anything but divine.

If you are lucky enough to witness the absolute magnificence of a sunrise while above the clouds, it is somewhat saddening to me, to think there is a need to see 'god' at the same time. I have always been so enticed and enthralled by the sunrise, much more than sunsets, and I honestly cannot understand why that pure beauty would not be enough for everyone. In times gone by, we might have looked up at that same gigantic ball of burning plasma and seen (and indeed, feared) Apollo, Ra, Mithras or Lugh, but now we have the benefit of humankind's ammassed knowledge about the sun and the chance to revel and bask in it! We know that the sun is a star which is not solid and is mostly made of hydrogen gas. That it is at the centre of our solar system, is roughly four and a half billion years old and that life could not survive without it. Knowing these facts, obviously, cannot take the slightest iota of grandeur or beauty away from watching a sunrise.

When I reference the misquote “I don't see any god up here”, I mean it in the most positive, curious, optimistic and inspiring way. I may be an atheist, but I completely reject any/all of the negative connotations that might be attached to that label (I hate labels.... but if I must have this one then I insist that it at least defines me correctly). I feel nothing but complete awe and excitement at the things we have discovered through science and what is still to be revealed.

Moments of disillusionment come when I notice things like 80% of my fellow passengers paying absolutely no attention to the wonderful sights they could see, should they only turn their heads and look out those cabin windows. How can the world fail to hold your attention and completely amaze you? I wonder how many of those people would say they are believers and whether there is some correlation between having a misplaced 'in case of emergency' religious allegiance and the seemingly increasing and baffling penchant for neglecting any curiosity or wonderment for the natural or man-made world? Is it just moral and intellectual laziness?

I certainly don't mean to suggest that people who have a genuinely devout faith in god are in some way immoral or lazy... I'm sure some of the 20% of passengers who are enjoying this sublime sunrise with me are probably pious believers, contemplating the glory of their maker, but I find this equally disillusioning. I just can't see the necessity to assign spiritual powers to such a beautiful thing that we can already explain conclusively through science. All the beauty and majesty we need is RIGHT THERE!

But I digress. Let's let Yuri and the words he never spoke rest for now. I sit here this evening on a picturesque tiled terrace, nestled in the shadow of the magnificent ex-volcanic mountain called 'La Concha (on account of it being shaped like a seashell) while the scent of some Iberian blossom gently curls through the cool, dusky air. A glass of sweet white wine waits patiently beside my laptop while I write, and as that same sun sets over the Sierra De Las Nieves and the occasional ring of a cicada's call sounds through the twilight, I feel a sense of peace that sadly, I haven't felt for a while.

Happiness is such a conditional thing, and while I feel extremely lucky and constantly grateful and fortunate for all I have, what I know and to simply be alive, life has been quite difficult lately. But self pity is something I don't do, and this evening really reinforces that feeling of just how lucky I am. To have seen the things I saw today, to have had the amazing experience of travelling nearly twelve hundred miles on one of mankind's most incredible creations, to have met and shared life stories with a most wonderful and fascinating homeless man from Dublin who lives at Malaga airport, to just sitting here smelling the flowers and listening to the insects. Morgan, if you ever read this, I hope you're somewhere warm, having a beer and feeling just as happy as I am. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you.

What a day.

To be continued......

The Cult of Celebrity - Part Two

While I can quite easily explain the phenomenon of the “Cult of Celebrity” and locate the point from where I think it originates, I can't quite decide why this need remains. Having never experienced the hysteria of meeting one of these magical, walking, talking paradoxes, I still find it all very confusing. I would genuinely like to know what that feels like.... experimentally. Generally, when I'm curious about something or I have some sort of quest for knowledge I like to really throw myself into the subject and get as much first hand experience as I can. Just call me the Robert DeNiro of life experience.... I'm a 'method learner'. But you won't catch me within a ten mile radius of a Justin Bieber concert, even for scientific purposes. I think that would be genuinely terrifying. I often wonder what it must have been like to be in the audience at the Beatles Shea Stadium Concert in 1965 when the band couldn't even hear what they were playing over the deafening screeching and crying from the crowd. Apparently they got so frustrated at not being able to hear a note they were playing, they resorted to joking and playing their instruments with various other body parts. What was the point at that stage? No one was listening anyway! So when we're discussing the “Cult of Celebrity” it would be unfair to assume that those who do the idolizing are the only victims in this scenario. As with so many of our modern societal defects, this isn't a black and white, good vs evil dilemma.

Now of course the leader of the pack will always want to impress his or her followers. They have been built up to need to be constantly reminded that they are still the strongest, most courageous, attractive and powerful one available for that role. They don't want their position usurped or poached by an up-and-coming younger, fresher model, and so they will naturally feel the need to cling to their loyal followers/fans as fervently and for as long as possible. Nobody wants to 'fall from grace'. Once the celebrity has been pushed and shoved and milked for absolutely everything they're worth, the next Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber will be there, waiting to take the reins and begin the cycle again. The pressure must be enormous, (particularly if the “celebrity” is young and not very well grounded) no doubt added to by pushy parents, agents and greedy investors all just waiting for their slice of the pie. The unnatural aspect of the “Cult of Celebrity” means that inevitably, the one who has been adored and idolised, is destined to a life of dwindling self esteem and a huge gap, which was once filled with seemingly endless devotion and loyalty, friends and constant praise is created. Their life now sounds like quite a lonely place to be.  

Even during the “celebrity's” brief sojourn in the intense limelight, the more they are revered, the further they are forced to retreat. Isolation, paranoia and being removed from reality are hardly attractive lifestyle selling points. I'd choose my anonymity in an instant. Likewise, the more the “celebrity” is forced to retreat, the more the public tend to lean towards being wary of them.... they seem “strange these days”, “they've really changed”, “there must be drugs involved” etc etc. In reality, whether there's drugs involved or not, the “celebrity” has possibly had no choice but to withdraw. You can blame them for putting themselves in such a public position in the first place, which is an argument I've heard many times, but personally, I don't believe that gives the media (or the fans for that matter) the right to invade the person's private time. I find it interesting how in so many aspects of life, there are such strict, clearly black and white lines that everyone knows you must not cross, but something so basic as respecting another human being's right to privacy isn't one of them. And yes, despite the fact that I mentioned Paris Hilton above, and I don't particularly like her or what her 'fame' is based on, even she is entitled to her own privacy (although I'm not sure she's too interested in having any).

So here is the paradox that is the modern “celebrity”... a person sold to us as one we should all want to be; the thing we should strive for. We can attain their beauty and success if we just follow them on twitter and buy their products, when in reality these people, often naively and with the best intentions in the world, are paranoid cash cows who's days in the spotlight really are limited and who for the most part, are completely unapproachable and unreachable. And to be fair, their wealth, beauty and success is something that very very few of us will ever attain. If these things were attainable for Joe Soap, the hierarchy of the Cult Of Celebrity would collapse and chaos would ensue! We would all have dvds out in time for christmas and no one would make a cent. It's business, cold and simple and at the cost of human happiness. We are being sold a lie, which is nothing new, but what I can't understand, is why isn't more being done to put a stop to this absolutely pointless and damaging behaviour? Why aren't we giving our kids proper role models? Why are so many young people these days, despite the wonderful world of the internet and all that knowledge right at their fingertips, trying to learn about the world they're living in, instead of googling what type of cuisine Gaga is wearing today or discussing Kim Kardashian's divorce on Facebook, and looking to these people for guidance on important life issues? The young mind is so impressionable, and for good reason.... kids wouldn't make it to adulthood without being highly receptive to instruction and guidance. So where they get and take that guidance from is more important than most of us realise. 

The damage that “The Cult of Celebrity” inflicts on the fans that get swept up in it's madness is probably a lot more apparent and maybe it's easier to see this side of the coin with a certain amount of empathy. But whatever way you look at this situation, it points to an unnatural and unhealthy behavioural pattern on both sides. As I said, to worship or obsessively admire another human being, by definition, is wrong. The most staunchly religious person should agree that even their Rabbis, Priests, Imams, Monks etc should never be worshipped (and although their reasoning, I think, is that you must allocate all available worship for god... the point still stands). But without wanting to draw religion into this discussion, it would be wrong of me to not address the obvious correlation between the misplaced adoration of “celebrities” and the similar reverence our human race has historically held for deities and other supernatural beings. We simply have to acknowledge that there is a striking similarity between the two behaviours, however flawed both may be.

With the increasing rejection of faith in organised religions, especially in younger generations, and the apparent need that many people still seem to have to want to 'connect with a spiritual side', they seem to firstly create a sense of lack (i.e. I need to feel the need to find god in my life) and thereafter a sense of needing to fill that gap, I wonder if people are transferring their need for deity and spiritual guidance to "celebrities". I.e. They have lost faith in the theological beliefs they thought they had or feel they should have and have filled the gap that god has left with another more.... real..... being, who they carelessly decide to trust to tell them how to live their lives from now on. Again, we're treading on very dangerous ground here. Take a look at the countless atrocities that our race has committed against each other since the invention of the gods, in their names, or specifically to honour their so called teachings or doctrines. The goal being to impress them in some way and get us one step closer to their divinely, seductive promised land.

I don't see acts such as these, or at least the intentions behind them as being much different to the bizarre and worrying obsessions we appear to develop with “celebrities”. Consider Mark David Chapman, who took some sort of deluded offence to John Lennon's fame and success and justified taking his life. If you need further examples of just how ineptly damaging the glorification of “celebrities” and the types of conduct this can rouse from us can be, just consider the disturbingly closeted life of someone like Britney Spears, the murder of Jill Dando, Michael Douglas with his stalker, Dawnette Knight, who threatened to slice Catherine Zeta Jones like a piece of meat.... or the the astonishingly creepy case of John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate then - US President, Ronald Reagan, in an attempt to impress a young Jody Foster after seeing her performance as a teenage prostitute in the film 'Taxi Driver'. In a letter written to Foster before the assassination attempt, Hinckley wrote...

“Over the past seven months I've left you dozens of poems, letters and love messages in the faint hope that you could develop an interest in me. Although we talked on the phone a couple of times I never had the nerve to simply approach you and introduce myself....

...the reason I'm going ahead with this attempt now is because I cannot wait any longer to impress you.”

Obviously Hinckley is an extreme case, but quite an interesting one. There is huge debate over whether his lenient sentencing on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to insanity meant that justice was truly served. Neither he, nor anyone else except the psychiatrists hired by the defence believed he was insane. Clearly the man has serious issues, but there is a difference between lurid psychological problems and insanity. He knew exactly what he was doing and in fact described his actions as “the greatest love offering in the history of the world”.

In an extreme and shockingly grisly way, Hinckley wrote honestly about the type of idolisation and worship we have developed and come to accept in our society. His feelings of not having 'the nerve' to approach the person he held in such high esteem are something we can all understand. Whether we experience these feelings ourselves or we simply witness them, gobsmacked at the face-licking idiocy, from a distance, we know this happens.

What makes this subject so fascinating to me, I suppose, is my curiosity about human behaviour. The characters that make up this engaging enactment of our different psychological traits are all equally interesting. The “celebrities”, the fans, the managers and agents working behind the scenes to ensure the cash keeps rolling in, the media; without whom “celebrities” couldn't even exist. All cogs that run continuously and voraciously to keep the cult alive and well. I find it intriguing and horrifying at the same time. I can't necessarily answer the questions I have on the subject, but I wish it was something that was more widely discussed and questioned. Why do we find it so difficult to accept that there is no inherent need to cleave to the styles and beliefs of another person to find our way through this world? If the absolute quintessential success of life is to be famous, purely for fame's sake, then who or what is to blame for giving people the absolutely absurd notion that fame brings happiness and fulfilment? Surely fulfilment comes from satisfying your potential, using your talents, meeting people, gaining and sharing the most experience, love and knowledge from the world during the short time you have here? So why waste that short amount of time directing all your energy towards another human being, as opposed to bettering yourself? I don't even think this is something that has occurred to me recently, or since I turned 30, or even since I left school. I have never subscribed to the idea that someone else could know what's better for me than I do.

I'm not suggesting that every over-enthusiastic Bieber fan will go to Hinckley levels of obsession. Neither am I saying that being a 'Little Monster' means you can't have an independent thought. I just have serious questions about the self worth of these followers, that they truly believe their icons are worthy of such fervent elevation, without ever knowing them on any kind of personal level. How does this affect their real-world friendships and relationships and the standards by which they judge other people? How easy would it be to take their outlandish, yet socially acceptable idolisation to the next level and move them that bit closer to Hinckley/Chapman territory? After all, we are being sold the image of the “celebrity” who is accessible, who is our equal and our friend, who is 'just like us'. It's not too difficult to imagine how the lines could blur for an easily influenced, Darwinian, adolescent mind who just wants to find that connection. Any adult, on the other hand, who venerates a “celebrity” (or anyone else for that matter) in the same way, really needs to take a closer look at that behaviour. As part of an intelligent species, with the potential for so much intellectual growth; you should be ashamed. What have any of these people done to deserve your profound and unadulterated respect? To use the example of poor bewildered Britney Spears once more, why do parents think that she is a suitable role model for their kids when the woman can't even handle the responsibility of raising her own children or manage her own financial affairs? Do they realise that having a legal and permanent conservatorship granted against you is normally used with elderly people so that their families can tend to their fiscal well being following the onset of dementia or similar mental deterioration? I'm not trying to attack the girl.... I'm merely pointing out that she's certainly not the kind of role model I would ever want for my son or daughter.

In the end, if fame is something you really do still seek... if you are genuinely so blinkered to truly believe that relinquishing your privacy and handing your freedom over to someone who will try to mold and form you into the next Bieber or Rihanna, then who am I to try to stop you? You are clearly missing the point. And if you think that the station of purely being famous is enough to fulfil you, then please, put your dream to the test. Use botox, sun-beds and photoshop, where possible get your physical flaws corrected (there is no room for these in the land of the “celebrity”), enlist the help of the most expensive agent, learn to court the media, research and learn your new, politically correct opinions, become wise in the ways of the auto-tuner, attend every sickeningly circus-like audition for whatever TV “talent” show is visiting a town near you, behave as bizarrely and wear as little as possible at all times..... hopefully you'll get there. But once you arrive, do me a favour and write to me to let me know just how happy and fulfilling your new life of fame really is. Assuming you have time to do so before the media or the public decide to make you their newest clay pigeon. I suppose what I'm trying to say here, and the only way I can sum up this discussion is to say that I wish people would open their eyes to the fickle and completely flawed nature of fame and “celebrity”. The positive aspects of being a well renowned, famous person are earned by having a genuine talent, while sharing and using it to enhance your own life and the lives of others, and the motivation to get there was never to simply be a “celebrity”.

The Cult of Celebrity - Part One

This particular post has been swimming around in my head for a long time now.... notes have been written, discarded, rewritten and reworded many times. My writings on this, or any other subject, are not necessarily penned didactically, so please don't think I'm trying to preach to you. If you don't like what I have to say, feel free to comment, or just stop reading!

I really dislike the word "celebrity". To me, the word invokes the idea of a person who has become famous for doing SFA; the Paris Hiltons of this world.... famous literally for being famous (or often for making a tragically boring sex tape, coming from a famous family, being in Big Brother or any other ridiculous "reality" TV Show, spread eagled across the third page of one of our wonderful newspapers etc). I abhor everything that "celebrity" stands for but I am using the word in this post to emphasise the lunacy and absolute impotence of the situation I'm talking about. I will continue to use inverted commas around the word "celebrity", not because I am suggesting that these people don't exist, but because the word itself is a paradox, and I don't want it to be confused with my use of the term 'famous people' - by which I mean musicians/artists etc. who have genuinely worked tirelessly, with drive and determination to be able to do what they love to do and be able to make a living from it.

The subject of “celebrities” and the relationship between 'us and them' has always intrigued me. I've had an insatiable passion for music for as long as I can remember and I would have actively begun paying attention to the careers of various musicians, writers and artists whose work I enjoyed and found inspiring from quite a young age. I grew up loving art, playing music and, generally being the nerdy girl who liked to read and learn, which meant that I was mostly influenced by different famous people to the majority of my peers. I didn't understand the Jackie magazine dreamboats like Ryan Giggs or East 17. This is not to say I didn't have my own dreamboats decorating my walls, though they were a little scruffier round the edges, had eyes with that something behind them (there I go again with the eyes!!) and aesthetically pleasing as they may have been, they also infused my bedroom with a delightful air of handsome, yet inspirational thought. With my walls covered in musicians faces and handwritten lyrics, paintings, sketches and photographs, LP Covers, illustrations and quotes from books I was reading, and prints from some of the artists I loved like Quentin Blake, Frida Kahlo, Tim Burton and any number of Pre-Raphaelite painters. My room, which was my refuge to create as freely as I cared to, was so full of inspiration, I often felt as if I had my own nine muses in that tiny space. But back to my classmates and their slightly different bedroom walls, which were practically laminated with layer upon layer of images of the latest, dreamiest footballers or boybands, alongside cut-out-and-keep advice taken from Kylie Minogue's latest food plan and '10 ways to tell if he likes you' lists.

I dreaded the question... Which 'one' (referring to a member of the particular boyband or the current hot footballer of the day/week) did I fancy? I just couldn't answer those questions! How can I tell you if I 'fancy' someone I've never even met? Someone who's also from a band whose music I've either never heard or intensely dislike, who I know absolutely nothing about and who enhances my life in absolutely no way whatsoever? Similarly.... I don't watch football, nor have I met this guy... I have no idea or interest in how said footballer plays or if he has any redeemable qualities whatsoever so again, how could I possibly 'fancy' him? If you want to show me photos of each of these people I'll gladly tell you who I find easiest on the eye, but 'fancying' someone is a whole different kettle of fish! I need a little more substance than that. If I am going to give anyone, famous or not, my admiration, they are going to have to work for it. I need to feel like the things I choose to assimilate into my mind allow me to express myself creatively in some way. If someone can inspire me, and therefore help me to release some of my own need to creatively spawn, then they will earn my respect. We are exposed to so much vapid bullshit, all day, every day, which we simply can't avoid, so why on earth would I waste my 'free from bullshit' time adoring a "celebrity" or anyone else in the public eye purely based on how they look or because my friend or someone on Top of the Pops says he/she is 'hot'? That just makes absolutely no sense to me. Life is short and real “free” time is rare, so "celebrity" wise, I believe in getting your money's worth. I don't see the point in giving anyone my time/money/respect if I'm not getting something in return. Self-serving in a way I suppose, and I can live with that. But respect and admiration do not equate to worship, and this is the point that really piques my interest. When I talk about 'The Cult Of Celebrity' I'm not talking about having respect or genuine appreciation for someone's work. I admire a huge amount of people, famous, not famous and infamous! And of course, as far as I'm aware, there's nothing wrong with that. And I'm not even talking about teenage crushes that stay just that... harmless and ultimately, just a bit of fun (though confusingly pointless!). I'm talking about the creepy, obsessive, fanatical veneration of celebrities/pop stars/footballers etc that's so prevalent in our modern lives.

I am lucky enough to have met a lot of the musicians/artists I really admire and in general, it's been an absolute pleasure, so I hope that nothing I write here will cause any offence. But what's led me to actually write these words right now is something that happened at a gig I was at recently..... The musician in question was holding a 'meet and greet' after the show and being one who I have huge respect for, I decided I'd go and say hello. A small queue had formed and as always, the majority of people were there for the same reason I was... to shake the hand of a man whose music they loved and thank him for a great night out. No problems there. That is until the girl just ahead of me in the queue reached the object of her desire. This girl was no teeny-bopper, seemed quite lucid and gave no indication that she was going to behave like this until the rest of the queue and I (and I'm sure the slightly startled musician!) were treated to her odd display of love for him. This late 20s/early 30s girl, with all faculties in seemingly working order, proceeded to fling herself at the poor guy and actually LICKED his face from chin to forehead. Now, it's not my place to be judgemental... it's none of my business.... he could absolutely love having his face licked and the fact that this girl's boyfriend was taking photos of the whole thing might not be half as creepy as it seems to me, but something inside me, maybe you'll think it's prudish or old-fashioned in some way, thinks that licking a total stranger's face without invitation crosses a line. (Not to mention the fact that said musician had just played a two hour set under hot theatre lights and was hardly at his freshest... is that a face you want to lick, lovely and all as he is, or am I just being weird here?) I'm not attacking this girl in particular. The only judgement I'm making is on her behaviour. It's purely to illustrate the kind of madness I'm talking about. I'm sure she's a lovely person.... the very fact that she was at that show proves that she has good taste and I honestly mean no disrespect to her. But I do find her behaviour really baffling. So what is it that makes people behave so insanely when it comes to "celebrities"? Why do some people feel the need to deify other people? When you consider just how bizarre this phenomenon is and the behaviour it has induced in some of us, the subject cannot fail to fascinate.

So where did all this begin? Where does this astonishing compulsion to put famous people on pedestals to be worshipped and adored in such a seemingly unnatural way originate? I don't necessarily believe that it is an unnatural phenomenon, though it is most certainly an outdated and what should be an obsolete one. The phenomenon of idolising another human being probably dates back thousands of years, to a time when we lived in a completely different type of society, made up of tribes and packs, where having a leader, the strongest and most powerful of said pack, and the one who could provide the best level of 'public service', was absolutely necessary for the survival of everyone. That's just human history and logic.

Perhaps a modicum of this instinctive trait which has been so ingrained into our DNA remains, and has now been relegated to an entirely unsuitable modern day purpose. Maybe we genuinely have an inherent need to idolise; to follow another human being we perceive to be superior to us.... who we subconsciously believe will guide us and show us the way to safety, shelter and our next meal. Needless to say, if such a natural, DNA based need does exist, it must purely be an evolutionary leftover that hasn't quite been expunged yet. The fact that the vast majority of the population can function perfectly normally without the need to deify other humans proves that the gene holding this strange desire for outside intellectual reinforcement is utterly useless. So if we assume for now that there is some biological, explainable reason for our misplaced exaltation of “celebrities”, while also acknowledging that the defunct hierarchical pack society our ancestors lived in bears no resemblance to at least most of our modern day cultures, then we must be able to see the huge chasm between the two things and realise that to revere another person to such high degrees is extremely dangerous and dysfunctional. And yet, the behaviour continues, and is rampantly encouraged.

I am of course capable of somewhat understanding the notion of being 'starstruck'. I can accept that the obsession with "celebrity" exists and that people do feel the need to raise these individuals up, far beyond the stature they should have. But what I have a huge problem with, is the idea that so many of us seem to think it's OK to glorify “celebrities” to such an extent that they truly believe them to be superior... a better class of person, one with something that bit better than the rest of us, one who we should all strive to be.... the epitome of human perfection. If this is something that you truly believe, if you assign almost godlike qualities to another human being, then of course you would be anxious and tongue-tied should you ever be graced to be in their presence. This type of spurious and downright scary idolisation of another person leads to people acting in ways they would never normally act. It's as if giving another person an almost supernatural grandeur removes some of your own ability to remain rational and humane, not to mention denying your own self worth. I'm afraid no matter what way you word it, designating one person as being of a higher calibre than another is wrong, so yes, while I can understand the concept of being 'starstruck' it is about as foreign a feeling to me as walking on the surface of Mars.

Maybe at this point, when we are awaiting the birth of the 7 billionth human being, our need to find a “celebrity” or someone in the public eye that we can relate to, gives us a sense of identity that we can't find in our own over-populated, swarming, communities. Surely that can't be an unhealthy thing? I'm afraid I can't agree with that either. We don't need to relate to someone in the public eye to the point where we're licking their faces, or bursting into tears and screaming should we come face to face with them.

Using one of the biggest popstars of the moment as an example, Lady Gaga, and briefly looking at her vast and incredibly intense army of fans, I can't help feeling that that's all gone a little too far. Lady Gaga refers to herself as 'Mother Monster', her fans being 'Little Monsters'. Which is all well and good for her legion who feel the need for such an identity... if Lady Gaga wants to label them and they're pleased with that label, then go right ahead, but I wonder what will happen on the day they wake up and discover the the title 'Little Monster' actually bears little to no resemblance or relevance to their actual lives, and they need to start trying to find their OWN identity, as opposed to one given to them by a pop star. I know she's spoken out many times against bullying and encouraged young people to believe in themselves etc., which is great, but if she wants to encourage young people to find their own niche, why insist on dressing like a hooker and singing about getting shit-faced and bluffing with her muffin? Personally, I don't find that hugely empowering (I refer back to my previous blog post about prejudice and homophobia, and how the modern prevalence for political correctness has helped a lot of people gain a lot of public kudos, while not really having much to back it up with) and it reminds me that the reason we are constantly bombarded with her interestingly quirky and very p.c. image on our screens and in the press is purely for increasing her concert ticket/itunes/dvd sales. She's an extremely talented and innovative girl, though with her musical talent, I would have expected a little more quality than what I've heard from her albums. The potential is there for her to make great music. Just don't try to tell me that she's the mystical leader the world has been waiting for to free it from the shackles of bigotry and shame, when all she appears to want to do is get as much coverage as she can by wearing foodstuffs and telling her audiences they can be whatever they want to be. Yes, Gaga, I know I was 'born this way'. Thanks. You'll have to do a little better than that to get me to part with my cash.

To be continued...