Fascination with Celebrities

I was recently listening to a Mars Hill Audio Magazine, and one of the topics had to do with America's over-focus on celebrities.

It made a few really good points ... wish I'd taken notes!

We find "meaning" in following the lives of these people in order to fill a void of meaning in our own lives.

The celebrities have taken the roll of a religious idol in our culture. It gives a common language and set of stories. They worship a common "god" and have a shared mythology around these Entertainment Tonight figures.

The writer interviewed a number of junior high girls, and asked them their preference of careers when they grew up

congress woman
CEO
assistant to a famous person
(maybe some others)

Something like 80% chose to be an ASSISTANT to a famous person, rather than pursue a career that actually contributed something to society. Fame was that important to them, that they'd dedicate their whole lives to just being NEAR it.

The mourning for the famous puzzles me, and this article answered a lot of my questions. Obviously it's a tragedy any time someone dies, particularly someone who isn't sure where their eternal destiny lies ... but this over-the-top mourning for (essentially) complete strangers is a puzzle ...

Ideas?

Link to a summary of the article (unfortunately no transcript posted).