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Why do Americans Idolize the Wealthy?
Posted by Agit8r • 10/06/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: un-celebrities, wealtho-americans, worthless f~cks
Why are people like Donald Trump and Paris Hilton celebrities? Is it because people want to be LIKE them?
And why would anyone want to emulate someone who is worthless to society?
User Comments
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they have money and every one wants money. They buy stupid stuff and acct how ever they want just becasue they have money -
It doesn't make any sense to me and all of these shows have increased demand for luxury items. I read a news article recently discussing how a large segment of buyers of $1000 purses and such are not rich people, but middle class people who really can't afford them. It's sad that people are being sucked into such materialism.-
agreed
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I despise these people. -
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I don't know that anyone wants to 'emulate' Paris Hilton... unless they are some sort of hopeless teenager with bad fashion sense.
As for Trump, he's colorful... I'll give him that. Maybe people have a sense of admiration for men with a horrible comb-over and arm candy.
With that said, celebrities' experience bears no relation to mine. So I have no answers for you.-
Al Capone was colorful too...
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I used to hang out at Al Capone's favorite North Side speak easy. It was an honor to get to sit in his booth, so management always reserved it for VIPS.
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Before my time, gnome. ;D
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I can't think of a substantive difference between the Mafia and modern conservatism. it is all about subverting government, making money, and maintaining a "moral order"
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Tommy guns.
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instead of assault rifles?
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Ah, the Green Mill? A friend took me there once when I was visiting him in Chi town. Cool place!
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I know it may sound like a whacky solution, but if you just turn off your television you wouldn't even notice all of the little distractions that are out there.-
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I dont have tv so
i dont see it unless it is on utube -
I've been doing it for two years. College student, working hard when I do, hanging out with friends, blogging, or at BC when I don't.
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It's because you are a shallow people with no real history or culture of your own so you equate wealth with culture and aspire to it.-
That was a bit harsh, donkeh.
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Well he did ask.
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We have better teeth.
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See I was right you are shallow!
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Now that's not true. American history is very interesting and very deep, it may have only been 400 years but what a crazy, amazing and earth-shattering 400 years it was, although a lot of Americans do disown their history. It does tend to regionalize and sometimes get suppressed (ie. Confederate Flags) and other times get treated like a mark of shame, and as a result, we have effectively sold our soul for acceptance.
Also, America's history isn't the history of America, it's the history of the Southeast, California, New England, the Northwest, Texas, et cetera. America has far more soul at the local level then the national level. -
darned sub-threads
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@Agit8r: But they're fun!
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Because they are using their wealth pretty much giving others profits as they move/spending from dining, clothes, travel, fame, publicity and more. Richer people of course helps many who want to gain money from them more than everybody else. -
Well Donald Trump is at least intelligent, and somewhat interesting. He made his own money(as far as I know)
Paris Hilton is just about worthless, however. -
They needed a replacement for God.-
Mammon
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People seem to have this need to worship. If it's not Buddha or Jesus it's the rich and famous.
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I just added that for the benefit of a certain commentator
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Because they're entertaining to watch. Let's face it, Paris Hilton and Donald Trump are more then wealthy, they're out of this world bizarre. There is something so fundamentally enjoyable about the combination of not being able to adjust to normal society but running laps around it economically that amuses people. I call it the "Adams Family" effect.
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Only in America! -
The answer is, YES. People love to watch the rich and the not so famous, the question is why?-
maybe it's hardwired into our DNA from the time our ancestors were subject to more formal feudalism?
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"Maybe its hardwired into our DNA..."
Actually, that may not be that far off if we think about the concept of survival in nature. If the goal of American capitalism is to become rich, then in the American mind, maybe people who are able accomplish this goal are seen as being powerful and strong, and unconsciously, a better suited mate. Naturally animals will attempt to mate with those that are stronger because their offspring will have a better chance at survival.
If we take that concept and apply it to this subject, maybe men and women see these rich individuals as being "stronger" than others because of their wealth and thus idolize them for their potential to produce offspring that will be just as successful as the parents. Perhaps, it is merely a perverted form of the basic survival instinct driven by a society so focused on wealth.
As misguided as this instinct may be (if it in fact exists) it appears to still be prevalent and a driving force in our species. It is not even that illogical when we think about our other basic instincts left over from our primitive ancestors. Just as the need to reproduce with as many individuals as possible is still very much alive in us, we choose to ignore this instinct in favor of monogamy because of our conceived super-morality.
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Well, I think people are fascinated by what they are not. More, I think most people desire to be famous, although this may be for different reasons, typically I think people see wealth as something that is needed to be famous.
This discussion only solidifies my position. I would guess that the majority of people who say they do not follow Paris or Donald, probably do not read things like tabloids.
I also think that America, in a sense, holds the wealthy on this pedestal of being a "successful" (and I say successful with loads of sarcasm) American. Part of this is the love of capitalism in America and part is just the media. Lets face it, if we look at celebrities, they seem like they have very happy (and quite pointless) lives.
What is it that they do? Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Brittany Spears all just go around partying, having sex, and breaking the law. What gets them out of the problems that come along with these acts? The answer is simple, money. So therefore, why wouldn't the simple minded sheep that plague America flock towards these people and practically worship them like gods when these celebrities embody what the sheep want for themselves?-
"I also think that America, in a sense, holds the wealthy on this pedestal of being a "successful" (and I say successful with loads of sarcasm) American."
exactly. It is the most beloved piece of our mythology
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On a bad day I might cite a famous novel by Heinrich Mann about Imperial Germany (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Untertan), but the analogy would be off and I would just be stirring up trouble. Still, I think Agit8r might like it. -
Its everywhere. Thats a general tendency. I feel it is a distorted and perverted practice. One dont know what is worthfull and what is worthless. -
Money...everybody wants it...everybody gotta have it!
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I don't pay any attention to them whatsoever. They just aren't relevant to my own life. However, Trump worked to earn his money. What has Paris ever done? She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. I don't idolize them or envy them. I'm right where I'm supposed to be in life. -
Trump was a real-estate-developement-brat. His dad worked hard though
www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1S1-9199906260345377.html
Whether Donald added anything meaningful to the world is ratherless certain.-
He added a haircut:
It makes a very meaningful statement, almost like Maya Angelou poems.
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At the turn of the century, there was a shift in consciousness. People were no longer thought of as citizens, but as consumers.
Sigment Freud and especially Edward Bernays (he invented PR) are partly to blame for this money mad world in which we now all live in.
For more info, I strongly recommend the film: Century of the Self by Adam Curtis. It's truly mind blowing.-
Actually, commercialism was probably more extreme in the 1950's and 1920's then today. The fact that so much public attention has turned against it is itself a sign that it's on its way out.
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@jeremyjanson
"The fact that so much public attention has turned against it is itself a sign that it's on its way out."
A very astute observation.
- People forget that 95% of the world's wealth is owned by 5% of the population (The few rule the many).
- Over 1/5th (or 1.2 billion) people in the world live on $1 a day or less.
The time for greed is hopefully coming to an end, and maybe one day we can help one another as human beings rather than look after the purse strings. -
I only hope it won't be replaced by rampant collectivism, which in the end does the same evil thing (hold humanity in contempt) without any of commercialisms redeeming qualities (namely a high level of individual freedom and technological progress.) I fear however it probably will. I sometimes wonder if people have a masochistic need to be exploited and used.
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Donal trump he have money but i dont like to be like hem he is old he buy everything but not the time
but yes i do like my bank account to be the same like Donal Trump -
I am an American and I sure don't Idolize the wealthy...
I think most celebrities are foolish ... but also intelligent enough to know, that if they act weird enough, they will really rake in the big bucks. So that is what they do.
What makes me sad... is thinking that people who don't know Americans, will think we all behave like that... ugh!-
Worry not Articulates, there's enough of incredibly fat Americans so that we know you're not all like Paris Hilton.
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Idolizing wealth is not an American thing it is a human thing. It is not wrong to want to seek wealth but it is wrong to have greed. Greed has always been a problem of the heart but some of the most sharing people have been wealthy. By the way, Americans as a whole are the most generous people around but because of our wealth we are looked down on. The poorest person can also be guilty of greed.
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