Pygmalion

I did not know who this Jade person was before I came to the UK in January and saw the headlines. She was everywhere, and still… it failed to interest me enough to look twice. Now though, it made me think about this frantic consumption of people’s lives (and deaths). Or more specifically; the lives and deaths of a selected few.

I’m not sure what to make of it… the celebrity worship that’s going on. It’s like… religion, almost. The stargazing, awed devotion. The crying and fainting… the molding yourself into their shape. Buying crap magazines. Or maybe it’s a kind of fetishism of commodity? Making something out of nothing… Most of us must realize that the person behind the representation of the person is… just a person. Same as the rest of us. And that’s a good thing. It's enough.

My guess is the fantasy has to be kept alive. There’s this image; this beautiful, rich and (at least sometimes)talented thing, infused by our longing and … our hopes for that perfect, special someone. A pure reflection of our own psyche, in a pretty shell. Either what we want, or what we want to become.

Reality though, the actual human being behind all those photos and films… has to be a disappointment because he or she comes with the forced realization that this thing you created, has a mind of its own. It’s not just a shell containing your fantasy. And in all probability; it does not want you.

And then of course there’s the seemingly endless fascination with other peoples flaws and wrongdoings. Catching a glimpse of someone with their pants down or their eyeliner put on crookedly. This is all just pointless gluttony. Celebrity worship and gossip is an unnecessary bad. Enjoy talent, but don’t deify it and don't buy all the crap surrounding it.

The Pygmalion Myth