Brilliant question. You (and tallgirlcolo and (some of)the rest of you) need to be educated on this and I will be more than happy to do so. A little busy at the moment but I will come back later.
>> Why are our professions not worth more than an athlete or actor? <<
It's a fundamental flaw in our society. Beauty and athletic ability are prized much more highly than, say, intelligence, compassion, dedication, honest work, improving the community, etc. Sure, people give lip service to all those good things, but we still read "People" and "Sports Illustrated" - and many U.S. citizens can't even name the vice president. Escapism and entertainment are fine in their own right, but not at the expense of substance and quality of life.
There's a great billboard in Denver that I walk by almost every day. It is laid out like a school quiz, with three blank lines. It says: "Name three supermodels." At the bottom, the second question says "Now, name three of your kid's teachers."
Powerful message, I think. We need to get our priorities straight.
>>Why are they so highly valued? They simply provide entertainment while the people who educate people, keep the government running (not including the politicians, I mean us average govt workers), and even those who fight and die
I am sooo tempted to drop what I am doing and start writing an essay on the topic. But no, resist the temptation CG, resist the temptation. Your time will come.
Also, I didn't mean to be condescending in my previous post. I do think a lot of people are seriously uninformed or misinformed on this, which by the way is also actively encouraged by a certain political ideology and a certain national political party. BUT..I will avoid the politics and just answer the question.
Moving away from the dollars, I think the focus on celebrity is because we don't think our lives are exciting or interesting enough and we live vicariously through the gossip and red-carpet. Even when someone famous is being cheated on, we use it to feel better about our own lives.
I think people get so tied up in sports as a form of escapism from their lives (be they realistically or percieved to be difficult), and also means you're part of a social group providing a sense fo belonging, even if you never interact.
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Edited 9/28/2007 12:32 pm ET by capegirardeau
It's a fundamental flaw in our society. Beauty and athletic ability are prized much more highly than, say, intelligence, compassion, dedication, honest work, improving the community, etc. Sure, people give lip service to all those good things, but we still read "People" and "Sports Illustrated" - and many U.S. citizens can't even name the vice president. Escapism and entertainment are fine in their own right, but not at the expense of substance and quality of life.
There's a great billboard in Denver that I walk by almost every day. It is laid out like a school quiz, with three blank lines. It says: "Name three supermodels." At the bottom, the second question says "Now, name three of your kid's teachers."
Powerful message, I think. We need to get our priorities straight.
AJ, enjoying life with C.
I agree... that billboard is great, but I truly believe its significance will not sink in with many people.
>>Why are they so highly valued? They simply provide entertainment while the people who educate people, keep the government running (not including the politicians, I mean us average govt workers), and even those who fight and die
I am sooo tempted to drop what I am doing and start writing an essay on the topic. But no, resist the temptation CG, resist the temptation. Your time will come.
Also, I didn't mean to be condescending in my previous post. I do think a lot of people are seriously uninformed or misinformed on this, which by the way is also actively encouraged by a certain political ideology and a certain national political party. BUT..I will avoid the politics and just answer the question.
Edited 9/28/2007 12:57 pm ET by capegirardeau
Commissioned Sales.
Edited 9/28/2007 2:37 pm ET by capegirardeau
Hi everybody,
Moving away from the dollars, I think the focus on celebrity is because we don't think our lives are exciting or interesting enough and we live vicariously through the gossip and red-carpet. Even when someone famous is being cheated on, we use it to feel better about our own lives.
I think people get so tied up in sports as a form of escapism from their lives (be they realistically or percieved to be difficult), and also means you're part of a social group providing a sense fo belonging, even if you never interact.
Some of my favorite boards:
The Single Life, Signature Making for Beginners, Life in Our 30s, Make Him Moan, & Job Seekers' Support Group
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