July 9, 2010

• Decoding Pop Culture

  In a recent poll which asked people which celebrity they would most want to party with, competitive swimmer Michael Phelps came in at No.3, with only George Clooney and Owen Wilson ranking higher.  Now, I know what you are thinking.  You’re thinking that Phelps’ high ranking has nothing to do with the fact that he’s an eleventeen-time gold-medalist and the most dominant “player” in his “sport.”  Rather, you’re thinking that people want to party with him because he presumably likes to smoke marijuana from a bong when he’s not perfecting his breaststroke (as evidenced by a grainy photograph taken from a cell phone at a fraternity party in North Carolina).  Based on this alone, it’s understandable why people would want to party with him.  Stoned people are fun!  However, this is only part of the reason why Phelps ranked so high on this list.  I’m 100% certain that Jay-Z smokes more hash than Michael Phelps, and Jay-Z likely has better dope and prettier women in his possession than America’s favorite swimmer.  Yet, Jigga Man only ranked fifth on that list.  The difference between Jay-Z and Michael Phelps is that Jay-Z is a veritable celebrity and Michael Phelps is just a regular dork who looks like McLovin’ from Superbad.  But, why does this difference benefit Michael Phelps?

  There exist two types of people in American culture:  There are celebrities and there is “everyone else,” and these two groups are held to different standards in terms of how they’re supposed to behave.  As a whole, celebrities are expected to do “celebrity” things, like make movies, record albums, sign autographs, and walk down the red carpet.  And, as a whole, “everyone else” is expected to do “normal” things, like pay for movies, purchase albums, ask for autographs, and walk on the sidewalk.  And while it might seem that “everyone else” is obsessed with celebrities, we’re not necessarily enamored with them until the celebrity/”everyone else” dichotomy is broken. 

  America is fascinated with things that aren’t supposed to happen, which is kind of why train wrecks like America’s Most Wanted and Cops are the longest running television shows in primetime.  In regards to celebrities, we don’t’ expect them to do “normal” things.  This is why we care so much about what kind of dog Barack Obama has.  Britney Spears isn’t supposed to go to Starbucks and drink venti mocha Frappuccinos like everyone else, but this is why the TMZ cameras are always there when she does.  A celebrity like Chris Brown is supposed to be known for being an R&B singer, but we care more about him now more than ever because he went gangsta on Rihanna.  Celebrities aren’t supposed to be crooks, but we’re obsessed with Lindsay Lohan going to jail.  By that same token, America is equally captivated with “everyone else” when they do “celebrity” things.  This is why America is in love with YouTube sensation Tim Zonday; John Legend wouldn’t have gained nearly as much attention if he was the one who sang Chocolate Rain.  This is the philosophy behind all of the amateur pornography that’s rampant on the internet.  When it comes down to who they would rather see naked on the internet, the average internet surfer would pick their next door neighbor over porn star Jenna Jameson.

  As a society, we have things that we don’t want.   We are generally disinterested when celebrities do celebrity things, which is why no one cares that Judd Apatow is a machine that makes three movies a year.  Similarly, we are indifferent when regular people do regular things, which is exactly why no one watches Keeping Up With the Kardashians.  The reason why we want to party with Michael Phelps is not that he’s a pothead.  We want to party with him because he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to do.  We want things that aren’t supposed to happen.  This is the secret behind the progression of culture.  Technically, I’m not supposed to be saying that.

  But, that’s why you’re still reading this.

  • 6:34 pm
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