Watching "Britney: For The Record" recently on Sky 1 made me aware once again of how difficult it is for some people to view their high class problems objectively. This relaunch of the "New and Improved - Dried out and not about to shave her hair off again Britney Spears" was in my view a cynical ploy by her publicists to get her back in the public eye, wash her sins away and get her story across.This talented individual became recently a rather ridiculous joke to even her own products' consumers after going for Paris Hilton-type party animal status and instead slipping into a druggie-booze driven haze which began to seriously compromise the future ongoing money-earning potential of the Britney franchise.
The problem is that she courted the popular press, even to the point of shaving her hair off publicly. Her tabloid pictures still command one of the highest fees for any celebrity. In this piece,she played the vicitim of her fame, talked about normal people as if she was some modern-day Marie Antionette. I felt disappointed for the poor gal, really.
One things obvious Britney. you can't have it both ways.
10 comments:
Trailer trash to mega star via mickey mouse. And who claims the "art of spin" is a political exclusive? Media hype through cynical yet deliberate promotional acts at the virtuous failings of the product!! A quandary for marketing, media and product alike.
Infamy, infamy, the have all got it in for me, (Frankie Howard, Up Pompeii).
Barticus.
Good to hear from you Barticus -you've been a bit quiet lately...
The cult of the celebrity in our society is the distraction to the masses from all the lack in their everyday entitlements and necessities as they aspire to the redefinition of their inadequate self-image through the false, "x-factored" promise of individual fame regardless of talent through the objectivisation of agents dedicated to the perpetuation of the entertainment industry.
But, is it the ultimate decision of the entertainment industry to promote openly the enviable possibility of fame and fortune for the massed mediocrity, a tactic that threatens possitive investment from REAL pervayors of quality musical entertainment, or is it set deeper as another "Big Brother" style of mind control keeping the amassed audience in the dubious belief that "they too could be a star", and as such escape the meaninglesness and boredom of their own lives to live in blissfull ignorance of todays problematic society, in the Utopian society of the "Mega Stars"? The "I can be free" syndrome.
As noted before, yes, I am a cynic. But Britney made page one. I wish I was a celebrity again so that I dont have to eat anymore kangaroo cock, page two. Tracey from Dorking, (with her gigantic points of view) on three. VAT, page six. Iraq, page seven. Tax increases, page eleven!! Is it me, or are we all losing the focus on reality? Has Steven King's "The Running Man" (please, for Gods (Allah, Buddah, Whatever) sake, the book, not the film) come to be the format of our lives already?
Barticus
P.S. Sorry, Ikindofwentoffonone..
Of course, Gonzo as counterculture is all about "going off on one" in search for the truth.
Hegemony is here my friend. As is the ability to wake up to the real if we are willing and have the way to cut through it all.
This will cause us to question the values we have been given, and attempt to come to our own conclusions, as independently as we can from the discourses we have been consciously fed and in return unconsciously accepted.
We may never be free from this. But we can fight injustice when we see it, only once we see it.
Hegemony, what, like being paid for topiary? Ha Ha , Kidding?
We, unfortunately, have been victims of undercover hegemonistic leadings for ever. They play us like pawns. Theirs is the true power. Theirs is the control. Hundreds of years of making us look forward with cotton wool in our ears so to avoid distraction of reality. Breeding us as sheep. Defining our possibilities. Our lives. Our loves. Our hopes and desires. But the masses will not see, because they cannot see.
So once in a while, with squinted eyes and a crazy smile, someone can see true reality, and what? Who would believe? Who would understand? Who would challenge what they have always known to be true? Who would admit to how obviously and openly they are controlled? And for what? Possibly Freedom? Honesty? Fame? Or More control? Defamity? Fear? Loneliness? Segregation?
So, Neo, what will it be.
Sorry, went a bit Matrix for a moment.. ha ha.
We are just puppets with Governmental puppeteers. But you need to look beyond to find the puppet master.
Barticus
Aha...the "puppet master"? Who's that then? "I always wanted more for you Michael,that one day it would be you who would pull the strings..."
Who's that then? The devil?
I get the "Neo" reference, of course, but question whether a Baudrillardian definition of "the real" is really what we are talking about here. Of course, marxist thoughts about the real - and that "religion is the opium of the masses" for example - or the post-structuralist view that it's all shite anyway and there's really nothing out there, don't really cut it for me.
I do think that we can wake up - there's argument that we might just end up waking up to another version of pseudo-reality.
Perhaps the people that knowthe answers already left the building?
I hope you are right, but will not be holding my breath..
i can't see how holding your breath would help, nor why you'd want to. BUT if they no longer dwell in the circles we do, then we might be unable to be set free...
Ok, so I had to go away and think about this one as I understand you have strong faith, and therefore I have no wish to attack that, as I enjoy this infrequent repartee and do not wish to end this over a question of faith..
As you are already about twenty five blogs further on, I will understand if you have stopped looking at this one, after all, what was it about, oh yeah Britney.
So instead I will endevour to relate my situation with regards to faith.
As a devout christian and youth leader, I was asked to write a piece about "If I was God." The problem with this is that it makes you open your eyes properly to the Evil and injustice in the world today, and realise that this has always been the way. I was left questioning my faith, trying to see what is real, questioning so many answers that I had given to so many answers, (including answers to the big bang, dinosaurs, Adam and Eve (ie we are all related), tha great flood, (ie we are all related again), The Holy Wars, The Papal Wars, Hitler, and more) and came to the conclusion that "If I was God", I would condemn us all.
Free from the chains of my faith I now see life and people differently. I choose everything based on what is right and wrong by my standards, which at least I understand, (eye for an eye, turn the other cheek!) weight has been lifted from me, which is the opposite of what I was led to believe, and now, for the first time, I can see.
So, again I can't say anything against your faith, I am genuinely pleased that it makes you complete. But the line between faith and blind faith can become quite thin.
I respect what you say and think I have an understanding of your point and would go as far as personally identifying with it. I think I used the term "free" in my previous comment as much as Marx/Gramsci/Foucault/Hunter S Thompson would have done as Jesus might have said.
I also thoroughly believe that God is versus religion, which I thinks captures the spirit of what you were saying.
So, no problem here,man. We're on the similarities and not necessarily each of our differences.
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