Why are money, power & celebrity status so important?
@Paljas (146)
South Africa
March 23, 2017 2:25am CST
I often ask this question as I never could and never will understand why people are so mesmerized by people with money, power and/or celebrity status? Sure, they stand out and deserve some attention but in my mind they do not belong to a higher existence or are no more special than other people. In fact, most of the people I know with money, power & celebrity status are actually quite ordinary people and do not consider themselves special so why do other people think they are less important or worth less than these people? I just don't understand it.
In my life and through my travels I have seen brilliant musicians busking when people walked passed without even acknowledging them. Yet the same people will scream and shout when they see a known musician who are not even remotely as talented as some of these people I saw busking. And this is visible in all forms of the performing arts.
I have seen and still see rich people WITHOUT money who consider themselves poor and a lesser people than rich people WITH money. I don't understand this either. Why and in which way is a person with lots of money a better person than a person without money? I have met wonderful people in my life with very little money and yet they inspired me and earned my respect more than a lot of people with money.
Power is a very tricky one as, in my humble opinion, there are both good & evil in people with power. Some people are powerful because they are wholesome people and are respected because of their standards and ethics. Then there are powerful people because they are evil and controlling and not respected but feared. Both of these groups of powerful people are no better that any other person. The first group of wholesome powerful people don't even consider themselves to have power.
Perhaps I am just being silly and arrogant because I refuse to believe that some people are more superior than others. I am not talking about popularity - nothing wrong with that. I can like a person without thinking he or she is better than me. I am talking about people who are brainwashed to think they are less important, weaker or less human than people with money, power and celebrity status.
23 people like this
27 responses
@sunrisefan (28524)
• Philippines
23 Mar 17
Thanks for suggesting this discussion to me Lany :) It all boils down to personal contentment. If a person does not learn to be contented, then no amount of riches or fame will ever satisfy him or her. Just a humble opinion and personal experience :)
7 people like this
@sunrisefan (28524)
• Philippines
23 Mar 17
When one is contented, he does not feel superior to others, much less inferior to them.
3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 Mar 17
Money, power and celebrity are 3 different things. Rich people wanting to show that they are rich are most of the time "nouveaux riches". When the richness is there since several generations, people do not exhibit it, or only inside closed walls. A friend's daughter working in a Parisian palace told me that it is impossible to guess the amount of the bank account when looking at the appearance of a client, the more neglected being rarely the poorest, and it is true. I am living in the Cognac area, and many winemakers/cognac producers are multi-millionnaires, a few families are billionnaires. These people are usually driving smaller cars than their hairdressers and I remember one who was walking barefoot and was looking like a tramp although he was owning several castles
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The more power hungry people are politicians. Maybe when they start a career their political commitment fits with their ideas and they are honest, but power becomes soon or later an addiction and they are ready to do any villainy to keep it after a few years. It is a serious decease like any addiction.
And for celebrity, well, people are not directly responsible for their celebrity most of the time, it is the society that chooses. Telling if it is justified or not is something subjective : you can think that a famous scientist deserves to be a celeb and not a TV reality show star, an I can think the opposite, if many people are thinking like you and me both will have some kind of celebrity. If they like to be a celeb, it is all good, if they do not like it, it is a pity because they will not be able to change their status easily.
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The more power hungry people are politicians. Maybe when they start a career their political commitment fits with their ideas and they are honest, but power becomes soon or later an addiction and they are ready to do any villainy to keep it after a few years. It is a serious decease like any addiction.
And for celebrity, well, people are not directly responsible for their celebrity most of the time, it is the society that chooses. Telling if it is justified or not is something subjective : you can think that a famous scientist deserves to be a celeb and not a TV reality show star, an I can think the opposite, if many people are thinking like you and me both will have some kind of celebrity. If they like to be a celeb, it is all good, if they do not like it, it is a pity because they will not be able to change their status easily.6 people like this
@Paljas (146)
• South Africa
23 Mar 17
Thank you for your insightful comment. I agree with you. As I mentioned in my original post there are people in all three groups who display humility. A lot of times people themselves are to blame as a result of their own actions, which is beyond my understanding as to why, for being observed as worthless. I guess my view is just that I am pro decency, liberty, basic rights, equality, mutual respect in and for humankind.
5 people like this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
23 Mar 17
Perhaps it is part of human nature (for all but the most egotistical or arrogant) to think that certain other people are better or more influential than oneself. Sometimes the feeling is justified but it's more likely that we underestimate our own value and enhance (in our minds) that of others.
Many people, though, have a wrong idea of 'value' and tend to acclaim and honour - sometimes 'worship' is a more appropriate word - certain people only because of their wealth or the 'celebrity status' which they see them given by the media. They are the 'sheep' who tend to follow people just because everyone else seems to be doing so.
It's actually quite difficult not to be a 'sheep', sometimes!
5 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
23 Mar 17
You've made some great valid points here and if the rest of us weren't worried about whether we were one of those types of people listed or our self-worth wasn't dependent upon those circumstances we could/would live life to the fullest and allow our lives to have purpose. Too many do worry about such things, that's for sure. Money speaks as they say, but it shouldn't.
Now if those with money used a portion to help those less fortunate and not to lord it over those with less, then that's great.
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
23 Mar 17
@Paljas In America it's not uncommon for those born into decent families to rebel and take to a life of crime. Some of those kids take years before they break free of that lifestyle if they ever do.
I don't know if it would ever be possible to compare each country in every regard. There are all sorts of things that make them all different.
1 person likes this
@Paljas (146)
• South Africa
23 Mar 17
@MarshaMusselman I am really not talking about people born into decent families. Yes, they are part of crime but do it more out of rebellion. In most countries (including America) there are a lot of poor people that either lost what they had due to the economy or were never in a good position to start with. I could be wrong about America, but I yet have to hear of a country without poor/disadvantaged people.
1 person likes this
@Paljas (146)
• South Africa
23 Mar 17
Thank you for the great commentary. It would be so wonderful if everyone had the same opportunities. I'm not sure if people realize how many talented people there are among the so-called "poor" for instance. Imagine all these talented people had the opportunity to develop their crafts and at the same time remain humble. We would live in a wonderful world with so much to offer. Another example is all the violence & crime in the world which is, to a great extend, caused by inequalities. A lot of wars, protests & terrorism happen because people are not liberated and are discriminated against. A lot of crime happens because people don't have the means to provide even for their most basic needs. The only way out for them is to revert to crime. People who are more fortunate will mostly say they should go out and find a job. Again, I wonder if they have any idea what the unemployment rate is in the world? I am not talking about voluntary unemployment, I am talking about the unemployment rate due to the lack of jobs.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
23 Mar 17
I have certainly never believed that one with money or celebrity is any better than the average person. They could be more intelligent and certainly more talented than most, but maybe not any more so than that busker on the street. This is a thought provoking piece.
Thanks, @Inlemay for suggesting.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
1 Apr 17
Some people just seem to worship celebrity and it is a very false God for sure. It can be fleeting. Honestly, I am unimpressed by wealth and status.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
23 Mar 17
it is a good question, and one I really dont know the answer too. it's like those who take advice from celebs, as if the celeb by being a celeb is an expert on random things!
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
24 May 17
i could give a hoot less 'bout those 'famous' folk. they thrive 'n bein' right'n the spotlight, their self-esteem most lackin'. sadly such sells - the media makes certain 'f such.
1 person likes this
@WorDazza (15830)
• Manchester, England
23 Mar 17
I've also never quite understood the belief that because someone can sing, act, play an instrument or whatever, it somehow makes their opinions on other issues i.e. politics, world events etc. any more or less valid than the ordinary man in the street.
Most young people in the UK seem to form their political opinions on whatever the currently in-vogue celebrities believe.
2 people like this
@just4him (317075)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
19 Apr 17
I have never run after celebrities or people with power. From my understanding, they are no different than I am, except they have more money in the bank than I do. That's the only difference. They still put their pants on one leg at a time, have blue blood running through their veins and experience all the same things I do - need for food and drink, sleep, and exercise to keep the body healthy.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317075)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
20 Apr 17
@Paljas We all have different dreams and goals in our lives. Our accomplishments should not be what others think of us, but what we think of us, and whether we've accomplished those goals we set out for in life. That is true success.
1 person likes this
@Paljas (146)
• South Africa
20 Apr 17
Right on. We are all equal and I personally do not have a higher opinion of any person than the opinion I have of myself. Do I respect the talent, knowledge, success, etc. of other people? Absolutely, but those achievements are what they consider to be an indication of their success and does not make them better than others. I respect the man who lives in a cabin in the woods all by himself and only have the necessary to survive, just as much. It could be his dream and what he consider to be an indication of his success. In fact, I respect him even more as he is not enslaved by the things, such as money, power, face, etc.) establishment consider to be an indication of success.
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
24 Mar 17
I like this article. We are all created with equal value no matter what we can or can't do, and what we have or not. In the end, we all are just human and also amazingly human.
1 person likes this
@Paljas (146)
• South Africa
24 Mar 17
Thank you for understanding what I was trying to convey @petatonicsca
@Paljas (146)
• South Africa
23 Mar 17
Value has money in itself but people should not be consider less important because they don't have as much as others. That is the point I am making. I have seen people without money being discarded, abused, devalued by others with money. Why is that? Does money make them superior to people without money?
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18366)
• Orangeville, Ontario
23 Mar 17
Very thought provoking post. My first thought here, obviously, is Donald Trump. Rich and arrogant. But my second thought is Oprah, rich and generous and friendly. Same with Ellen Degeneres. It just depends on the people's individual personality. Even if DT were broke he'd probably still be arrogant.
Then there are the middle of the road rich people whose personalities I'm not sure of. Think George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Beyonce. I have no idea how they are in person or whether they are giving back.
Like I've always said, if I had a dollar from every millionaire in North America I would be a millionaire and I would definitely be giving back. So if you see any of them, tell them to send a dollar my way. LOL!
You make very valid points. 
1 person likes this
@Paljas (146)
• South Africa
23 Mar 17
Thank you for your comments. I personally don't have much myself, but I feel the same way - if I had, I would give back. Well, let me rather say that I sincerely hope that if I come into a lot of money that it would not change the way I feel or the person I am. But looking at your examples above i.e. Oprah & ED, I think there is chance that I will remain the same.
@allknowing (136446)
• India
24 Mar 17
We are all slaves of society. Society dictates and we follow blindly.
1 person likes this
@Letranknight2015 (51964)
• Philippines
24 Mar 17
They tend to think like that when they have money, they loose themselves in that power.
That's why I would be careful when I have that kind of money but as popularity I don't think i can handle it.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
23 Mar 17
It is very true. Money does not always bring happiness. Some of the happiest people in the world are those who have little but would share their last slice of bread with you! I would rather be humble than arrogant any day of the week. You sound like a decent fellow! @Inlemay is a good judge of character!
1 person likes this
@Paljas (146)
• South Africa
23 Mar 17
Should me not start changing it? Treat everyone with love & respect irrelevant of their circumstances?
@Paljas (146)
• South Africa
23 Mar 17
I agree it is happening but it is because we as people allow this. Sad, but true.
