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Forum Post: Why do we care about the lifestyles of the rich and famous? 'It's All About Me' Wealth Culture

Posted 10 years ago on April 28, 2013, 3:25 a.m. EST by KevinPotts (368)
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Why do we care about the lifestyles of the rich and famous? 'It's All About Me' Wealth Culture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPCr2GcdvCc&list=UUvb-DqrtgHRX-hPypnjfkdw&index=1 (0:00 - 3:33) Notice what the 2012 GOP Presidential Candidate, Fred Karger says at the end about our fascination with and idolization of Rich Celebrities “…that’s probably a good thing, it gives people something to aspire to…”

Thank you Kelly Carlin! -for Tweeting the link, it inspired me to write this :-)

“Why do we care about the lifestyles of the rich and famous?” Because they Need us to care, they Need us to idolize and dream of Wealth --to keep us doing this: ‘The American Dream in 30 Seconds’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpq7j-vFLPg

I Think The Reason Why Most People Idolize The Rich And Famous And Dream of Becoming Wealthy is because they feel it’s the only way possible to ever escape a lifetime of slavery, of being poor, of constantly struggling just to barely get by, which is Sad because instead of dreaming of a fair & un-oppressed, humane life for everyone, the oppressed are bamboozled into only dreaming of becoming members of the oppressive class themselves.

We grow up being taught that we live in the land of “Freedom” & “Democracy” “This Is As Good As it Gets! -And We Should Be Thankful For That!” America! -The Land of “Opportunity!” -“The Best Country In The Entire World!” We grow up being taught that “we can do anything if we just Work Hard enough”. Then we become adults and enter the real world and (for Too Many of us) the only part of what we’ve been taught that becomes true is the Work Hard part. And we slowly but surely begin to feel that Something Ain’t Right about what we’ve been taught. A Huge Conflicting Rift between what we’ve been taught to believe and The Reality of Our Lives begins to sink in. We never dreamed of spending our entire lives working at Wal-Mart or McDonald’s for minimum wage, yet (even after 4 years of college and a resulting lifetime’s worth of Debt) Wal-Mart and McDonald’s for minimum wage becomes the only type of work available. We never dreamed of working 2-3 jobs just to barely survive and never have any free-time, yet working 2-3 jobs just to barely survive and never having any free-time (for Too Many of us) becomes our inescapable “life”. But we never fully give up on “the dream” (either consciously or subconsciously) because we Need “the dream” to keep going, we Need to believe there is “light” at the end of the tunnel -because we’ve been programmed to think that way, from what we’ve been told over and over our entire lives about how “great” this country is -from ALL of the hundreds and thousands of hours spent glued to the television -from ALL of the Hollywood movies with happy endings where the good guys always win -from our religion, that if we just “believe” and “pray” hard enough “good things will surely come our way”. Because even though there is Nothing about the Reality of The Situation of Our Struggling Existence that implies our lives will ever get much better, we never fully give up on “the dream” because There Are Exceptions! -For “some people“ The Dream Does Sometimes Happen! -LOOK At Those Famous Celebrities! -LOOK At Those Famous Athletes! -LOOK At Those Famous Rock Stars! They ALL started from nothing! -and Worked Hard! -and Made It To The Top! The Dream IS Possible! Don’t You Want To Be RICH AND FAMOUS Someday? -LOOK At That Billionaire who started his own business from nothing and now He Has EVERYTHING! And so we idolize The Rich And Famous and we dream of becoming Wealthy and we accept this “some people lose and some people win” way of life as “Just The Way It Is”. Like a gambling addict at a Casino who always loses his money, there is always “The Chance” that he might win! Because sometimes people Hit The Jackpot! It Does Happen! Sometimes People Win! And it’s those few Winners that keep him playing and losing…it’s those few Winners that keep “the dream” alive…it’s those few Winners that Keep The Casino In Business, because at the end of the day, even though sometimes people “win”, Most People Always LOSE and its only The House that Always Wins. And just like the losing gambler justifies his gambling by those few “winners” at the Casino, we look at the Rich and Famous as proof that “the dream” is possible and we end up justifying and accepting a corrupt, inhumane system that is set up and designed for Most People To LOSE. As if -just because its “possible” that some people can Work Hard and become rich somehow justifies The Fact That Most People CANNOT. A Casino is “the best business in the entire world” because sometimes people win???

This is how you get hard-working-exploited-poor-people to play the Lottery and to stand in line ALL day to vote against their own best interests for Democans & Republicrats.

For Too Many of us, The American Dream is not A Fair & Un-oppressed, Humane Life For EVERYONE.

For Too Many of us, we just wannabe “Rich”.

-Kevin Potts

https://twitter.com/KevinLynnPotts

THE SELL OUT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=225730054274837&set=a.208488185999024.1073741828.208106556037187&type=1&theater

20 Comments

20 Comments


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[-] 2 points by KevinPotts (368) 10 years ago

"I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."

-Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden in Fight Club (1999)

[-] 2 points by Builder (4202) 10 years ago

Words in a script.

Brad's recent interview about his latest movie role, he extolls the virtues of capitalism (wouldn't you if you get a million dollars a week?)

[-] 2 points by KevinPotts (368) 10 years ago

Oh, The Irony :-)

[-] 1 points by KevinPotts (368) 10 years ago

…for those that think you got it all, you may have nothing at all…and those that feel you have nothing, you may have... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cok88P0AUlc

[-] 1 points by nazihunter (215) 10 years ago

All very well put stuff. You have a much better chance winning big at a casino than hitting any "American Dream." The sad, sad, sad, sad thing is the GOP has pushed this well enough to get half the country to vote against themselves again and again. Yes, sure, dems, too. But if you notice, every speech a republican gives has this babble in it and the ageless stupid still buy it. In reality, there are no parties, just donors. The donors make sure things go the way they want them to. But let's be clear, (stole that from Obama),; the repugs will always think anything or anyone they can call 'liberal' is more dangerous than Monsanto. The day and age of 'Brad Pitt' is over and done with. Movies suck nowadays. Actors are a dime a dozen. And they all suck. And the writing? The writing is sooo bad, I'm trying to find older and older movies for my mindless time. You have one life. If you live it looking to Hollywood, you're a damned fool.

[-] 0 points by Nader (74) 10 years ago

21% of American families have income over $100K, 10% over $150K. That is a pretty good living. Very few people win big at the casino.

[-] 0 points by nazihunter (215) 10 years ago

and half of all marriages end in divorce, and then where do they go? Well, over 60% of the elderly would be living in abject poverty without social security. Go ahead, give me some more of your BULLSHIT statistics you dumbass.

[-] 0 points by Nader (74) 10 years ago

I didn't say anything about SS. If it was up to me I would expand benefits for today's elderly.

I just thought it was silly for you to say that you have a better chance of hitting a jackpot at the casino than being financially successful in America.

[-] 1 points by KevinPotts (368) 10 years ago

But what does it mean to be "financially successful" in America??

"The richer a person is the more people they have robbed." Revolt Today‏@RevoltToday

[-] 0 points by nazihunter (215) 10 years ago

OK, maybe I overstepped a little. If things keep going the way they are, I'm sure it'll wind up being true. Just spare me the statistics. If I want those, I'll watch the news. You can buy statistics nowadays and get some asshole to stand behind them. They mean nothing. Fuck statistics They serve politicians only.

[-] 0 points by Nader (74) 10 years ago

Yeah. Fuck facts. Spewing political rhetoric is much better.

[-] 2 points by nazihunter (215) 10 years ago

The gambling analogy is this asshole: The game is rigged. It thereby creates winners of losers and losers as winners. That--is a fact. Only a bonafide ignaramous rad-righty could manage to say what you just said. Statistics are political rhetoric asshole. Don't try turning it around. I had it with that right-wing BULLSHIT.

[-] -1 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

Why do we care about the lifestyles of the rich and famous?


What's this we shit? You got a mouse in your pocket?

Who the hell, exactly, are you talking to?

I don't know anyone who cares.

[-] 1 points by KevinPotts (368) 10 years ago

"If someone is unpleasant to you, draw a halo around his or her head in your mind. He/she is an angel who came to teach you something." -Yoko Ono@yokoono

Hi Yoko! xoxox I’m trying my best to see the wisdom in this, but it’s not working…

When someone is unpleasant to me, its usually because they’re just being uncaring and disrespectful assholes,...

...they’re not trying to teach me anything, they’re just being rude lol…

…and the only lesson I can see to really be learned from that is “don’t be an apathetic, disrespectful asshole”,...

...and that’s a lesson “they” need to learn, not “me” lol :-)

https://twitter.com/KevinLynnPotts

[-] -1 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

I'm not trying to teach you anything. I'm telling you point blank. I don't know anyone who cares.

People keep shoving celebrity at me and I don't care. Magazines that I don't read, shows that I don't watch, gossip columns that I pass on by. These people truly have no relevance. I run into the same problem when someone spouts off a list of things that we have stop buying and or/doing that I wasn't buying and/or doing anyway. I also run into the same problem watching the news. It's a discussion for a specific audience, a specific socioeconomic class. That audience is getting smaller.

So, I'm not down with we. Tweet that.

[-] 0 points by KevinPotts (368) 10 years ago

[ For Too Many of us, we just wannabe “Rich”.] …If it ain’t you then good for you, it ain’t you…

'Get Up Stand Up' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cogepHX5uTU&feature=player_embedded#!

[-] 0 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

We is often a tool used to force acceptance of responsibility because then the responsible parties is less culpable.

Saw the same crap when it came to the Iraq. Somehow I was guilty because I drove a minivan and if I didn't then we wouldn't be in the Middle East. 'Cept, I don't drive a minivan.