Cult of Celebrity

On the same day that Israel was remembering the third anniversary of the kidnapping of Soldier Gilad Shalit (with his potential release coming we pray), the US Supreme Court handed down a near unanimous decision that could be seen as a rebuke of no-tolerance policies at schools and the environmental debate took more definite shape in congress, the major headline in every newspaper was the death of Michael Jackson, with the second story the death of Farrah Fawcett (if you want to link to those last two just go to any news webiste you like, it will be far more prominent than any of the above stories, the last of which I really had to look for).

Of course in our celebrity obsessed culture of today, I would have to be extremely out of touch or just plain naive to think that those three very important stories would garner even close to the amount of press of the Fawcett and Jackson deaths, especially when there's a good sex scandal going on in the South Carolina's Governors office (another "family values" politician with a mistress on the side).

Celebrity deaths are often cultural milestones. Whether the death of a popular politician such as JFK, a superstar athlete like Roberto Clemente, or an international superstar like Elvis Presley, the death touches people far beyond the close family and friends of the individual.

Especially in the case of Michael Jackson, I understand that celebrities, especially those who give of their actual talents, weave their way into our lives in a manner that is very different than the important events that I started with. For me, Michael Jackson was an established star by the time I was 5, but it was when I was 8 and 9 years old that his fame exploded into international superstar status. It was right at the time that I was becoming aware of music and the impact that it could have on me. Music has remained an important part of my life since then, and some of my early non-Sesame Street musical memories involve Michael Jackson.

I admit that when I returned home last night and sat down for dinner (Ari and Rachel had eaten earlier), I didn't turn to ESPN or the sit-com re-runs on TBS as I normally would. But I voluntarily turned to MTV for the first time in well over a decade. Then I quickly realized why that was the case and went to E! One thing that stuck me, while not surprising me, was the number of people who were not just gathered near the UCLA medical center, but the ones who were openly weeping as well.

I tried to think of what current non-political celebrity would cause me, an almost 35 year old Rabbi, father, husband to join in such a spontaneous demonstration (I say non political because, God forbid, the assassination of President Obama or Prime Minister Netanyahu would send me out in a heartbeat).

I really couldn't think of one. If I were old enough at the time, I might have gone out for John Lennon, and maybe even Elvis. But despite his impact on my early musical tastes, I wouldn't have even considered it for Michael Jackson. The only one I could think of is if, once again God forbid, something tragic happened to Albert Pujols assuming I still lived in St. Louis (no immediate plans to leave). But even then, I'm not sure why.

So what is it that inspires people to join an assembly such as the one at UCLA yesterday for a person such as Michael Jackson? I suspect it is the same urge that compels people to watch disgusting voyeuristic TV shows such as TMZ and Access Hollywood. There is a cult of celebrity in our culture that creates a feeling that if we somehow attach ourselves to a celebrity (or sports team, or politician even) that it enriches our lives in some way. In most cases, I suspect such attachments ultimately leave us more empty than anything else. But like a drug that creates a high before a crash, the feeling of enrichment is just the same.

I do not mean to trivialize the life of Michael Jackson which was at the same time a charmed and tragic life, nor would I suggest that the lives of celebrities are not worthwhile, because all life is sacred. But ultimately we are all equal before God. While we do not know what lies beyond the grave, my faith tells me that we do answer for our inability to live up to what is best in ourselves, no matter how famous or obscure were were in our lives.