The latest Culture Clips from Focus On The Family’s Plugged In website carries the following quote:
“I can’t believe I even have to defend this. I would not have spent so much time on something just for a TV show! I share so much of my life on a reality show, that contemplating whether to even film my wedding was a tough decision to make, and maybe it turned out to not be the smartest decision. But it’s who I am!” —reality star Kim Kardashian, defending the “reality” of her 72-day marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries. Kardashian and Humphries were married Aug. 20 in a lavish ceremony that was widely covered by tabloids and entertainment outlets. Some believe Kardashian and Humphries netted as much as $20 million by selling various “exclusive” rights to cover the wedding—leading critics to speculate that the entire marriage was a money-making publicity stunt from the get-go. Kardashian insists that’s not the case. “I married for love,” she says in her statement. [abcnews.com, 1-Nov-2011]
Would anyone really be surprised if it turned out to be true that Kim orchestrated this media spectacle? Her whole “career” has been nothing but a spectacle. She has absolutely nothing to offer or contribute other than the spectacle that is her reality-TV “life”. I would do exactly the same if I had the same level of celebrity! Anyone want to pay me $20 million —it can even be in Australian dollars— to do something … anything? (ok, not anything)
Celebrity is as celebrity does and “we” wouldn’t have it any other way. There is absolutely no excuse for this state of affairs. It is simply a reflection of the vacuousness of contemporary popular culture.
If you are offended by Kim’s behaviour, then do something about it! Start by not buying the magazines that pay top dollar for such stories and photos. Stop participating in the culture and industry that feeds, and feeds on, that culture. Turn off your television and read a book. Live your own life and live it abundantly!
It is as Richard Foster, author of the classic Celebration Of Discipline, wrote:
Superficiality is the curse of our age … The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.
