Forty-four years ago Andy Warhol (famous for his painting of Campbell's soup cans) made the above statement. In today's culture we can easily see his hypothesis coming true. Every day new celebrities are cropping up to snag their few minutes in the spotlight. There are a million different kinds of celebrities: actors, musicians, politicians, authors, criminals, athletes, scientists, artists, historical figures, and the list goes on. In addition, reality tv shows and YouTube have helped the number of celebrities--especially singers--to skyrocket. Reality talent shows scour the world for new performers and each lucky contestant has the chance to make it big!! However, if you're one of the unfortunate "losers" on the show, at least you had your few minutes of fame, right?!! Guess again. We've seen it time and time again--if a celebrity thinks they're being forgotten, they pull an attention-seeking stunt to place themselves back in the spotlight. This holds true for A-list celebrities and D-listers alike. Has your acting career hit a dry spell? No worries! Parade around without panties and make sure you get photographed doing it. Instant spotlight. Are your YouTube videos not as popular as they used to be? Post something controversial or insanely funny. If you're lucky, your video will go viral. Not only does everyone want to be a celebrity, but no one wants to give up the "high life" once they've had a taste.
Because of the prevalence of media in our culture, becoming a celebrity is easier to do. As we become more and more tech-saavy and media-dependent we open the doors for more and more celebrities to appear. With the status of "celebrity" being so much easier to obtain, is it as exciting to be famous? Is there a point when everyone will be a celebrity? These questions reminded me of a clip from the movie The Incredibles. In Syndrome's evil villain speech he reveals his plan to make superheroes obsolete. His plan is genius!! Instead of annihilating all the existing superheroes he intends to provide everyone with tools and gadgets that will make them super. Because "when everyone's super, no one will be."
Syndrome's logic rings true. As soon as everyone is a celebrity, no one is. I don't know whether or not there will ever come a point where everyone is famous in the world's eyes, but that doesn't mean we won't all stop seeking attention. Deep down we all long for people to notice and praise us for our accomplishments. We want others to see what we have done and be impressed. We all want to feel special and superior to others. Our prideful and self-seeking tendencies take over and begin to drive our lives. The result: a culture full of people more focused on themselves than on others.
However, a life spent seeking fame isn't the kind of life God expects from us. Instead of seeking attention we should seek God. In Psalm 34:10b it says, "Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." When we seek God first he blesses us in ways we could never imagine. He may bless us with things generally associated with fame--attention, wealth, beauty, or power--but he wants us to use these blessings to honor him. Tim Tebow uses his status to show the world what a Christian role model looks like. The rich can use their wealth to support missions. God used Esther's beauty to save the Jews from Haman's plot. Joseph's rise to power in Egypt enabled him to save a whole country from starvation. These people are Heroes of God. Being a celebrity (or popular) is not a sin; it's a blessing. However, we often fall into the Devil's trap by using God's blessings to accomplish our own selfish desires and taking credit for his work. If we would use our talents and "celebrity" to glorify God, we could all be Heroes of God. But unlike the heroes of The Incredibles everyone can be super (or a celebrity) with God.
On that note, enjoy this video by Big Time Rush about the desire for fame :)
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