Why the Fascination With Celebrities?

By Kristyne McDaniel

I wouldn't consider myself to be a person obscessed with celebrity watching, but I think most of us get sucked in from time to time. A lot of the reporting is more like watching a train wreck than anything else.

Celebrities tend to be just like the rest of us, except for the problems introduced by wealth and fame themselves. Wealth, power, and fame create a surreal existence where buildings are closed just because a celebrity is going into it. Roads can be blocked to keep away the public. Employees don't dare to say "no" to their celebrity bosses, even when their employer is about to do something really stupid.

In a perfect world, the celebrity would have someone in their circle of family and friend that could tell them when they're doing something idiotic, but that perfect world does not exist. It seems to me like the only way a celebrity can get reality into their lives is to go out and seek it out for themselves.