Celebrity fame: perks and drawbacks come with the profession
Cameron Langdell
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: Opinion
Celebrities and other major figures can live notoriously difficult lives when it comes to privacy. But do they have the right to complain? Like Tiger Woods, well-known figures everywhere are in a perpetual war with the media to keep their lives to themselves.
This issue, like countless others, is not a matter of one side being irresponsible and the other not. Celebrities have a right to complain, but the truth is both the observer and celebrity are bound to their responsibilities. Celebrities, like all people, have a right to privacy. Tiger Woods, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Britney Spears are not X-Men, superheroes or members of a separate species, but rather human beings who deserve just as much privacy as any of us.
Is there such a thing as too much privacy? Privacy is an ostensible right, just like breathing. The trouble is it can be difficult to protect if your life is the prey of droves of paparazzi who can earn thousands of dollars by taking your picture. According to answer.com, a shot of Paris Hilton can fetch $50,000. With these tasty sums to be made, it's no wonder the paparazzi seem to grow on trees. With this in mind, it's important to consider the element of human psychology before blaming just the intruders.
While there is no such a thing as too much privacy, there is such a thing as price of fame and the precautions to be made. It is the responsibility of the aspiring celebrity to weigh the possibilities of the job against the corresponding level of privacy. You can't expect to jump into a lion's den without the risk of being mauled, and the same applies to positions of potential publicity. The trick is to know in advance. Did you just become famous after starring in a Hollywood blockbuster and are surprised and upset? You've been warned. Unless people lose interest in your life there is little you can do. To complain of a lack of privacy is okay, but complaints of the job lacking privacy are unjustified in that one could learn in advance.
This issue, like countless others, is not a matter of one side being irresponsible and the other not. Celebrities have a right to complain, but the truth is both the observer and celebrity are bound to their responsibilities. Celebrities, like all people, have a right to privacy. Tiger Woods, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Britney Spears are not X-Men, superheroes or members of a separate species, but rather human beings who deserve just as much privacy as any of us.
Is there such a thing as too much privacy? Privacy is an ostensible right, just like breathing. The trouble is it can be difficult to protect if your life is the prey of droves of paparazzi who can earn thousands of dollars by taking your picture. According to answer.com, a shot of Paris Hilton can fetch $50,000. With these tasty sums to be made, it's no wonder the paparazzi seem to grow on trees. With this in mind, it's important to consider the element of human psychology before blaming just the intruders.
While there is no such a thing as too much privacy, there is such a thing as price of fame and the precautions to be made. It is the responsibility of the aspiring celebrity to weigh the possibilities of the job against the corresponding level of privacy. You can't expect to jump into a lion's den without the risk of being mauled, and the same applies to positions of potential publicity. The trick is to know in advance. Did you just become famous after starring in a Hollywood blockbuster and are surprised and upset? You've been warned. Unless people lose interest in your life there is little you can do. To complain of a lack of privacy is okay, but complaints of the job lacking privacy are unjustified in that one could learn in advance.
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