A Fawner is defined as - "someone who behaves as if without self-respect or independent thoughts, who curries favor by behaving obsequiously and submissively, an apple-polisher, a bootlicker, a kowtower, etc."
As long as there have been celebrities, there have been those who have idolized and deified them, by attaching undue credibility, importance and credence to their every utterance and action, no matter how inane, ignorant, mean-spirited, self-aggrandizing or misinformed. Because of this near universal deference by their fans and wannabe followers, celebrities often take this as license to pontificate wily-nily on their bully pulpits, regardless of who it hurts or slanders.
I'm mystified that so many, despite their own personal accomplishments, will deify and give credence to the most inane, sophomoric, mindless rantings of celebrities. I know TV and movie exposure plays a big part in this 'anointing', but it still is dumbfounding.
My wise buddy, Nezet, Prophet of the Surreal says..."Completely and utterly dumbfounding! I've gotten into many an argument, not mere disagreement, but full-blown arguing with fam and friends over some sheet that a so-called celeb has said or done. I do NOT do celeb "worshipping" at all...and despite what society and the media says, I try to raise my kids to not worship celebs either. They are people...as flawed, nice and f-up'ed as any of us walking the planet, period. I think it has to do with collective low self-esteem, hero/ine worship, consumerism and projection (psychological term!). People are fed a constant dose of so-called reality by marketing, advertising and other corporate entities that they haven't achieved enough (foundation of capitalism IMHO), that when they hear and see people who speak well (and have all the material possessions to boot)....they seduce the masses with mass psychology/hypnosis (see: Hitler and other dictators, many televangelists and others)...and the lemmings (fawners) get behind the message cause it makes them "feel good"....and they feel so "connected" to the personality (see: Oprah, Cosby et. al.) that they think they are living their lives vicariously through these individuals. Despite a high level of education, people still flock to and are deluded in their thinking that Cosby, Oprah, Trump, Jakes...whoever, is somehow worthy of being deified and is "better" than them, because they have marketed themselves to make you part with your dollars and buy the "kool-aid" they be selling!"
Two prominent celebrities whose every word is often revered by faithful celebrity fawners, as if it was spoken from a mountain top by gods of the universe, are Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby. Recently these two have been quoted saying dismissive and disparaging things about the 'lower classes' of blacks in the ghettos of our cities. Their fawners, who hang on their every word, dutifully ignores the mean-spirited, damning words, and instead anoints them as modern 'truth-tellers' while ignoring their insulting, elitist words.
One admiring fawner wrote this;
"I am also so sick and tired of the jealous Black (and White) newsmongerers who can’t stop criticizing Oprah and Bill Cosby whenever they get the chance. Both of them have been exceedingly generous, having donated millions over time to historically Black colleges, numerous causes and to innumerable individuals in need here in the USA
Whether we want to accept it or not, calling it “airing our dirty linen in public,” what they have said is THE TRUTH!!! Ipods and sneakers and long baggy pants, hiphop music, rap music with its awful disgraceful lyrics, gansta rap, holdups, prison, gangbangging, crack/cocaine, methamphetamines, MTV, homelessness, fatherlessness, teen pregnancies, “Baby Daddies” welfare, etc etc etc are the order of the day in the Black community and it is DISGRACEFUL. Just walk through any mall or through any of our urban communities and there they are with doo rags on their heads and hairstyles with 5 different colors. Ask them a geography question and they’re looking at you as if you have rocks in your heads. Most don’t own a passport because they are not planning to go anywhere. Most can’t spell, read or speak. They take disgraceful pride in being on Jerry Springer and Maury Popvich illuminating their disgusting lifestyles. We know there are many of us who have pulled ourselves up against unspeakable odds and have succeeded. But we are less than 1%. Let’s not kid ourselves.
When Oprah or Bill Cosby try to speak out. They are NOT being insulting. But even those of us who know better want to shush they down. Why? We are in crisis!! MLK and Malcolm would turn over in their graves if they could see where we are now. After all they fought for, we have slidden backwards instead of forwards. Stop the jealousy because that’s all it is. Leave Oprah and Bill Cosby Alone!!!!"
It's clear that there will be those, like this writer, who make equally offensive remarks about the 'lower classes', and will defend these truth-tellers' not because they are necessarily telling the truth, but because they are celebrities, and therefore above criticism and being held accountable for damaging and insulting words, that would be rightfully deemed stereotyping and racist if uttered by any other ethnic group.
Moreover, every story has a contextual framework. To only tell part of the story while dismissing contributing factors, is disingenuous and factually incorrect. If one is going to tell the "truth" - then tell the whole truth, warts and all (see an article by the recently departed Norman Mailer that does such, here: http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0708-01.htm )
We will all do well, if we view celebrities as just as flawed and subject to error, as any of us who are not celebrities. Their words and deeds must be subjected to the same scrutiny and criticism, as those of us who don't have the big bully pulpits they do.
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