A few days ago I was on Twitter when the hashtag “#RespectTylerJoseph” was trending. For those of you who don’t know, Tyler Joseph is the lead singer of the popular band “twenty one pilots.” Naturally, because I like to keep up with pop-culture, I checked it out. You can read a version of the story here for yourself: Now, regardless of whose fault it was, it's obvious that the fans took it too far—far enough that Tyler just stopped the show right then, and may possibly have even been injured. But regardless of whose fault it was, the story got me thinking about celebrities and how easy it is for us to objectify them, and forget that, like ourselves, they are people too.
There were some poor decisions (perhaps even by Tyler Joseph) and mob-frenzy involved during that TØP concert, but I do believe that the #RespectTylerJoseph story is a reflection of our society's view of celebrities in general. When we stop thinking of celebrities as real people, and only think of them as “entertainers” for our personal benefit, things can go South pretty quickly. I think that so often we see celebrities as these “superhumans” who live perfect (however you want to define the word) lives. But have we ever stopped to think that these same "superhumans" have the same fears, passions, desires, and needs as “ordinary” people? I’ve also thought a lot about this in respect to entertainers like Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber. Now, I’ve never been a fan of their content, but I’ve been on the internet enough to see two different groups of people. On one side we have the screaming fangirls who may or may not have thrown common sense out the window a long time ago. They practically worship the celebrity regardless of any poor choices he or she might have made. On the other hand we have the skeptical, angry people who hate the celebrity for their immoral choices and bad behaviors. They complain, argue, and share open disgust about our morally declining culture, and personally attack him or her on various fronts. Both parties, I believe, are guilty of objectifying the celebrity. The screaming fangirls might make him out to be this perfect human being who they love, but their actions reflect that they see him as an entertainer for their own benefit. I’m not sure the crowd was thinking of Tyler’s well-being when they stole his mask, shirt, and shoes, while preventing him from getting back on his platform. And the angry, hateful crowd? It appears to me that they treat the celebrity as merely a "societal blemish," not as a lost human being in need of a Savior. And since when is it ok to gossip about celebrities, but not our personal friends and acquaintances? I’ve found that in many Christian circles, we try not to gossip about people in our own lives, but when someone brings up the next “dirty secret” about a celebrity, we laugh, joke, or rant about them in ways that make us believe the lie that they aren’t real people. Say I have a friend in my life who has made some really terrible choices. Do I hate her and go off to talk about her misdeeds with others so I can feel better about myself? No! As a Christian and her friend, I pray for her and hope that her life can get back on track. But when we find out that Miley Cyrus has had another “accidental” wardrobe misfunction, or Justin Bieber has been arrested again, we don’t respond with love and prayer, we often respond with scorn and contempt. Here’s the truth: celebrities are people too, and they deserve respect as human beings. And when they make mistakes, let’s not respond like complete jerks. Instead, let’s decide in our hearts to pray for them as people, because they are loved by God just as much as any of the rest of us. What are your thoughts on the topic? Feel free to leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
Comments
|
Welcome!This blog is devoted to analyzing the content and themes in movies, television, video games, and other forms of media from a Christian perspective. Thanks for stopping by!
|