Reflections is a weekly meme hosted by Kristin of A Simply Enchanted Life and Fizzy of Fizzy Pop Collection. Every Sunday we will dig deeper in our recent reads to explore the real-life lessons within the pages. Reading the book yourself is not necessary to participate. If you would like to host your own reflection, you’re welcome to copy and paste this introduction, with the link to our pages. You may use our current or prior reflections or come up with your own.
In ‘The Saturday Night Supper Club‘ by Carla Laureano, Alex criticizes the fact that public figures are treated as if their lives exist for public consumption. Do you feel that the media oversteps its boundaries, or is it merely a hazard that creatives and celebrities should expect to shoulder as the price of success? How would you feel if you were attempting to live in a similar spotlight?
As I was rolling through the list of questions we have saved over the year this particular question popped out to me. As I am writing this it’s Saturday evening, I’ve not been home from work all that long and I’ve been off and on the phone with Kristin. Today was the royal wedding which caused such a stir across the world. Prince Harry married an American. An American actress at that. It’s not every day that a simple American girl becomes a legit princess. Not to say that Meghan is a simple girl, she’s an actress for all the gravy, but once upon a time she was. Someone’s little girl, just a girl dreaming big. People all over the world held middle of the night watch parties and threw themselves into the wedding prep with devotion.
Let’s be honest. I’m not a royal watcher. I haven’t followed the hubbub and hype. I remember hearing, or perhaps seeing, something yesterday about her family and some drama with her dad. I literally did a quick Google search just now to try to figure out what the deal was, and apparently it’s the whole extended family that’s dramarific. In my opinion, if it wasn’t for the press and the paparazzi and talk shows and magazines and and and then maybe this family’s issues wouldn’t be strung out for the world to pick at like vultures. Perhaps, if it wasn’t for all the above mentioned a simple American girl could meet and marry her Prince without having her dirty laundry aired for all and sundry to pick over. Forget dirty laundry, even clean laundry gets dumped in the mud when press and paparazzi and all that gets involved in a situation or person’s life. Yes, I think that when someone chooses to live life in the public eye there is a expectation that parts of their life are now on limits for the world. However, as a world culture we almost thrive on seeing people in the mire and mud. We relish in getting to sling it around and gossip about what may be or is perceived to be. Harry didn’t choose to be famous he was born to it. some people stumble into fame unintentionally. But every person, royal or famous or dad on the street, deserves to have a measure of privacy. Every person deserves to have their life and experiences treated with respect. And until society realizes that negativity begets negativity then press and paparazzi and all that entails will continue to put unrealistic and sometimes dishonest and twisted expectations on people. If it is even sorta possibly maybe true in some parallel universe then it will sell. If it sells it prints. And if it comes up later as not fully aligned to reality, an apology can’t undo what was done. Gotta say, I didn’t realize just how passionate I really felt about this issue until my fingers started dancing. I honestly feel that we as a society are creating a beast by soaking up this negativity until some day it will actually turn on us all. Actually, I think it already has started turning.
Your turn! Do you feel that the media oversteps its boundaries, or is it merely a hazard that creatives and celebrities should expect to shoulder as the price of success? How would you feel if you were attempting to live in a similar spotlight?
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