Wanting to be famous!

[ApeShapeDeity]

Ok, so I want to know what you guys think...

It's been expressed to me many times recently that self absorbtion and self importance are the hallmarks of the current generation. Apparently, "be famous" is the single most common goal that contemporary young people hold.

Are people really so fucking shallow? The demographic here is generally in this realm... how do you guys see it?

 

[New Troll]

Not I. Well maybe infamous, but that's not the question now is it. I prefer my actions to be noticed more than my name. And if I did make it in the history books for some strange reason, I wouldn't care if it just said "Some guy did this awesome thing."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Being famous for having a talent? I have no problem with that.

Being famous while having no discernable talents i.e. The Kardashians, Katy Price, Paris Hilton, most of reality TV?
I hate them, they're famous for... being famous.

Just thinking about it makes my head hurt.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Ok, so I want to know what you guys think...

It's been expressed to me many times recently that self absorbtion and self importance are the hallmarks of the current generation. Apparently, "be famous" is the single most common goal that contemporary young people hold.

Are people really so fucking shallow? The demographic here is generally in this realm... how do you guys see it?

i wouldnt like to be famous personally, too much beady greedy needy eyes watching you and taking photos, also the chance of coke sniffing would raise i reckon.

i think i must be past the age where i give a shit about other people.

 

[gl1koz3]

"Famous" isn't that shallow... you can be famous for very complex stuff, too.

 

[Capt. Crankypants]

I'll take 'rich' over 'famous' anyday. Screw my demographic. Mind you, what are the other things to really 'aspire' to? Have a fulfilling relationship? An engaging, interesting and rewarding career? Those things are well within people's grasps, so they won't really hit the high note on the list of 'aspirations'.

Not really defending self-important teens, but yeah, two sides of the coin guys.

 

[Blazeaga]

For me I would love to be famous, but not like the kardishians for doing nothing. I dont think all celeberities are obsesed with fame / greed etc etc and i dont care about other's looks. But what i wana be famous is like Yatzee, you do realise they are classified as famous or someone like kevin jumba on youtube, he is famous for just talking then moving onto bigger projects.

tl;dr i would love to be famous, but not for doing nothing, yatzee and kev jumba ( utube ) are famouse too..

sorry for bad spelling and punctuation, slighlty tipsy ><

 

[Realitycrash]

Sorry, I'd rather be sucessfull i´n my own field than be "famous". People that want to be famous just lack imagination and self-respect.

 

[babinro]

I'd say to a certain degree this is true with the existence of sites like 'youtube' and people trying to get noticed.

 

[MercurySteam]

sorry for bad spelling and punctuation, slighlty tipsy ><

Watch some ZP, that should sober you right fast. Wither that or send you into a depressive state where you ramble on about the industry going down the toilet.

 

[ApeShapeDeity]

Spoiler: Quote: XxRyanxX

Ok, so I want to know what you guys think...

It's been expressed to me many times recently that self absorbtion and self importance are the hallmarks of the current generation. Apparently, "be famous" is the single most common goal that contemporary young people hold.

Are people really so fucking shallow? The demographic here is generally in this realm... how do you guys see it?

Mm.. being famous is a misused term now a days. You can be reconginzed by having a unique talent that stands out like acting, drawing, singing, and so forth. People see these as idols and want to be just like them. But, in truth being famous should be given to those who earn it (not saying all celebraties don't earn it, but literally most do abuse it without a doubt).

People who strive to make an impact on society, or being a hero within the war should be famous. Someone that has done a great deed that can be noticed throughout society deserves fame. Sure, that person can always abuse their fame but literally George Washington really made a difference in America and we consider him so famous to be remembered for generations, history pretty much.

There was also Martin Luther King Jr., a normal citizen like you and I who was treated poorly for the color of his skin but never gave up. He lead a peaceful revolution that even the World spotted happening within the US. He gave everyone hope and honestly I tear with I hear about his speech "I had a Dream". God love that.. it's amazing.

Point is - how many people will you remember or your children along with their children remember the celebraties we know today? Elvis and Michael Jackson will be remembered for more then just their talent- they were the models of a musical category as well as forming a union within the Nation to gather and bond. Especially the Beetles, they aced that. So hope this helps people understand that with talent comes great responsibility- Oh wait just quoted off Spider Man Haha. But, actually it's a good one so oh well . Thanks for the Thread, I appreciate your words very much!

I couldn't agree more, but does not the simple aspiration to fame lack merit? We all make acomplisments in life, some noteworthy, most not. However, those of us who are truly worthy of fame and admiration enact those deeds for entirely seperate motivations... In my humble opinion, anyway.

 

[Bender Rodriguez]

I don't want fame, i want to be one of those guys who makes lots of cash without the hassle of press.

Just look at Ben Collins, The Stig.
He had the perfect gig in my eyes, drive a car on the best motoring show ever...make shitloads of money...and stay anonymous.

 

[kurupt87]

Wanting to be famous purely for being famous is one of the stupidest things that a person can say that I commonly run into.

It's like the hypothetical, would you rather be rich or famous? In my eyes, anyone that picks famous is a complete and utter imbecile and yet it tends to be the more common answer.

 

[Jordi]

I think being famous means getting a lot of attention and being admired. Those are things a lot of people want, and I wouldn't call those desires more shallow than the desire for love, success, wealth or any other thing.

I don't think there is a problem with wanting those things, but it gets a little annoying when people seem to think that they should be able to get them without having to work really hard or having any real talent.

 

[BonsaiK]

Apparently, "be famous" is the single most common goal that contemporary young people hold.

Are people really so fucking shallow? The demographic here is generally in this realm... how do you guys see it?

People want fame only because they don't understand what it actually means to be famous. If they knew, they wouldn't want it. A little bit of fame is a useful thing for a career in many fields, but to be stratospherically successful is a life-crippling state of affairs. Why do you think celebrities are always so messed up? If half the people who wanted fame knew what it actually entailed, and the sort of ramifications it would have on their personal lives, they would most likely quickly reconsider and say something along the lines of "can't I just have the money that goes with it?". That's why you sometimes see celebrities actively working against their popular reputation.

On a related point, I think people who are "famous for being famous" are going about it the right way. It's better to get fame as an end goal rather than to get it as a by-product of having some kind of talent. At least then, you know exactly what you're dealing with.

 

[ApeShapeDeity]

I think being famous means getting a lot of attention and being admired. Those are things a lot of people want, and I wouldn't call those desires more shallow than the desire for love, success, wealth or any other thing.

I don't think there is a problem with wanting those things, but it gets a little annoying when people seem to think that they should be able to get them without having to work really hard or having any real talent.

But, this is the crux of it! So many people want the shallow, meaningless fame of Paris Hilton et. al. Where's the merit in that? I'd rather make a meaningful contribution without ANY recognition than be known because I've a rich daddy, or because I were a silly s**t!

 

[Brandon237]

First, some of the generation is okay, it is just that the bottom of the barrel seems to have infected the whole lower half for the time being.
To me being famous is a damned nightmare!

It was once said that fame was what a man spent half his life to achieve, this being followed by him then spending the other half of his life in dark glasses to avoid being recognised.

I wouldn't mind being rich and having better skin though

 

[Jordi]

I think being famous means getting a lot of attention and being admired. Those are things a lot of people want, and I wouldn't call those desires more shallow than the desire for love, success, wealth or any other thing.

I don't think there is a problem with wanting those things, but it gets a little annoying when people seem to think that they should be able to get them without having to work really hard or having any real talent.

But, this is the crux of it! So many people want the shallow, meaningless fame of Paris Hilton et. al. Where's the merit in that? I'd rather make a meaningful contribution without ANY recognition than be known because I've a rich daddy, or because I were a silly s**t!

Me too, but that doesn't mean that that is what everyone should want. To answer your question "Where's the merit in that?". It is what I said: attention and admiration. Those are things that a lot of people want. Maybe some more than others, but I think the desire for them is not any more or less shallow than the desire for the other things I mentioned.

You say you'd rather make a meaningful contribution without getting fame for it than to do nothing but getting fame anyway. I agree, but suppose for a second that you did make a meaningful contribution. Would you then not rather want the recognition for it? I'm going to assume you want it (or that most people would) and the reasons for that might be the same that other people want that fame and recognition to begin with. Mind you, you might have a far better idea of the downsides of fame that these people have, because as BonsaiK mentioned, it isn't all good. But I think the people who want the fame are not really considering that.

Like I said, I think wanting to be famous translates to wanting attention and admiration and I think there is nothing wrong with wanting that. But the idea that you should be able to get it without any effort or talent does cheapen it, because it suggests that these things are basically valueless.

 

[Random berk]

I'd love to be a famous lead singer. Trouble is, these days being able to sing lead vocals for classic rock songs is not a highly valued talent.

 

[Thaluikhain]

It's been expressed to me many times recently that self absorbtion and self importance are the hallmarks of the current generation. Apparently, "be famous" is the single most common goal that contemporary young people hold.

Being famous has been a goal from time immemorial. Admittedly, nowdays people are cheating by becoming famous for pretty crap reasons, but they've merely been presented with an easy way to do things people have been trying to do forever.