public popularity

  Let me explain something. I read about a singer, actor or artist and what they are doing. Then I hear them pontificating about subjects unrelated to their craft. They give their opinions, their views on all manner of topics, as is their right. I certainly don't begrudge them that. I'm told I should listen to them, follow them because they are celebrities. Well, that is where some explaining needs to be done. You see those folks are simply one thing to me, entertainers. That's what they do, entertain me. It's why I listen to them sing, watch them in movies and plays or buy their paintings, photographs or statues. I'm entertained. Whenever they don't entertain me, I quit doing all of that. You know it is pretty much the same way with personal relationships when you think about it. If I find you entertaining, I will associate with you. If I don't find you entertaining I will not. With these celebrities it isn't a personal relationship. That is what needs to be understood by those folks. That's the bottom line. Accept that reality. 

 It doesn't matter to me one bit if you have a PhD or never went to a day of school in your life. It doesn't matter to me how many or how few awards you have won. I don't care what you eat, drink, or wear. I'm not concerned with whatever perfume or underarm deodorant you use or the car you drive. None of that matters to me. What matters is, if I'm entertained. When you no longer amuse me, I'm done with you. You are not doing me any favors as generally I pay in some fashion to see or hear you do whatever it is you're doing. It's a mutual agreement. You entertain me and I pay you for that entertainment. Works the same way if I hire a plumber or a doctor. Funds in exchange for a service of some type. 

  Recently Hollywood writers went out on strike. I heard about that on television. If I hadn't heard about it there, I would never have known. That's how much of an effect it had on my life. Some singer says she is leaving country music because of male toxicity and support for the far right terrorists called the Maga republicans. What's her name? I've forgotten already because I don't care what she does, it's her career, her choice to make. Good luck. The thing about these celebrities is they begin to believe they are somehow special people. They begin to believe their fame and wealth lends them some level of importance. They begin to believe they can threaten me by withholding their talent from me. Maybe some folks are intimidated by all of that, but I'm not. That doesn't entertain me. The individual may provide some entertainment, provide me with an amusement, a distraction from everyday life, but that is the extent of that. It's nothing personal. I will be just fine without you. You have no hold on me whatsoever. You are an entertainment, an amusement, something to distract me from reality for a short time. 

  None of that is meant to be downgrading or dismissive of those folks. There are those that I admire for their talents. They are certainly entitled to their opinions and have a platform to express them. Good for them, I suppose they have earned that platform with their talent. If I were in their shoes, I'd use whatever platform I had to express myself. I'm using Blogger to do that because it is free and open to anyone. If it entertains some folks that's a good thing. I'm well aware that there are those that are not entertained at all. I've had a few that told me that on a regular basis. I just figured they were doing that because it entertained them. Now those few aren't entertained anymore as I don't hear anything from them. It makes no difference to me however, I'm not losing any revenue, any fame or status in any way. The simple fact is, they don't like what I'm saying. 

  I think for me all of this speaks to the past; the way things used to be. I remember when our entertainers did just that, entertain. We knew little of their personal lives, their political opinions and that sort of thing. We had our heroes, those we admired for their exceptional ability. And that is what we saw of them for the most part. In truth they were no different than anyone today, but they kept their private life as private as they could manage. Over time however the facade began to deteriorate. More was known, more was exposed, and it became more personal. Whether it was by their choice or not, personal became public. You can please some of the people some of time, but you aren't going to make everyone happy. You will not remain entertaining! I just think that is something any entertainer needs to be reminded of every now and again. What is personal should not be public. Generally speaking, everyone is much happier that way. A pretty important thing to know, especially when your livelihood depends upon your popularity.