Factors that Make the Public Concerned about Remarks Made by Celebrities - Essay Example

It is a well-known fact that our society is extremely influenced by mass media and that many people are even quite dependent on it in the formation of their worldviews and judgments. Whether this is a bad thing is a matter of heated debate, but what is clear is that even if one does not think that the role of mass media is negative in general, it is hard to deny that in some cases the level of emotional involvement of the public into scandals propagated by media often goes beyond normalcy. One such aspect of the functioning of the mass media is the extensive coverage of the life and deeds of "celebrities", without whom it is difficult to imagine any single news report on TV, radio, or in magazines and newspapers.

Aside from the paparazzi hunting for the private details of celebrities lives, another popular object of public attention is the instances when famous people are caught making unusual remarks, especially if these are not politically correct. Let us try to define factors that make the public so concerned about remarks made by celebrities. First of all, as we have already pointed out, some people may orient their world views along with the images and stereotypes offered by the mass media. In this concern, the life-styles of celebrities are an important product that sells well and has a stable demand among many people.

Now, insensitive remarks, for example of racial nature, produced by celebrities have a two-fold effect on the audience. On one hand, they serve as a point of comparison between people's views and the views of so many respected celebrities, and if these views do not coincide, for example when a famous person voices a formally unpopular idea, it is not guaranteed that fans of that person would lose their respect and love towards him or her. Rather, of course, depending on the situation, it may as well be that while being criticized by public figures, a celebrity may at the same time be appraised by fans who either support the same unpopular views or simply want to mimic their idol.

Of course, such situations may lead to a social resonance, as was the case with Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic rant, which mass media in the whole world used for their benefit measured by high ratings. Interestingly, in this particular case Gibson, who was caught drunk when driving, and who behaved in an extremely inappropriate way and proclaimed his dislike of Jews, later used this situation to bolster his image as a person heroically struggling with alcoholism, which, undoubtedly, had the intended effect on many of his supporters.

In a similar incident, comedian Michael Richard made sharp emotional comments about African-Americans at a comedy club after being taunted by the observation by representatives of the black audience that he had not been funny. In this case, we can see another factor that may explain the reason why so much noise accompanies the remarks made by celebrities, namely that, whether we like it or not, there are always supporters of a particular point of view. Indeed, as Michael Richard is less well-known in contrast to Gibson, we can conclude that it was more a point of view than Richard himself that generated such a widely covered controversy.

From this perspective, Richard served as a channel through which an old and very sensitive problem of racial tolerance once again emerged. So, his case exemplifies an instance when a celebrity due to elevated status revives traditional controversies, according to one observer's statement "Freedom of speech has its limitations and I think Michael Richards found those limitations" (The Associated Press 2006).