Fame is fool's gold

Except for flipping burgers at Jack-In-The-Box, I earned my first paycheck as a professional actress. My mother put me on the stage when I was three years old, and her enchantment with Hollywood was not unlike that of Mama Rose, the determined stage mother in Gypsy. I like to affectionately refer to her effect on my early childhood as a little like "Ethel Merman on steroids." Consequently, I've always been fascinated by the public's obsession with fame and the famous. From my vantage point, the trend has only intensified since my early days, shaking my tutu on the stage at Elitch Gardens. Michael Jackson began his life as the extension of his parents' drive and ambition and we watched his particular way of dealing with it as he grew into an adult performer. Like so many others who are not famous, he was a child as an adult because he was forced into adulthood, as a child. That's a cultural phenomenon for another article. Living as an extension of others was all he had ever known, and he recreated that pattern which came to enslave him yet again.

Hollywood values certainly didn't help matters, as appearances are everything in Hollywood. I was not surprised to learn that Jackson himself did much of the 'leaking" designed to keep him in the public consciousness. But what is it that makes the public so drawn to the hype that Hollywood dishes out, even when we know there is a feeble wizard behind the curtain, manipulating what we see and how we see it? Why have so many others aspired to this lifestyle despite the ugly underbelly and the serious, dangerous pitfalls? Isn't that what is behind the explosion of Facebook, YouTube and reality TV?

The thirst for fame can be as powerful a drug as Oxycontin. The more intense the addiction, the less likely one is to believe that they are "enough" just as they are. Such a deep sense of inadequacy can never be healed by the illusion of adoration by thousands or even millions, who know only the packaged image rather than the real person, with all too human frailties. A true friend after all, is one who knows you---and likes you anyway.

Those who have attained the coveted commodity can never live up to the romanticized image either, even if they've begun to believe their own hype. Some feel like an imposter and others find a depth of lonliness in so much superficiality. In many cases, the same adoring fans hide jealous glee when the idol falls of his pedestal. Isn't our First Commandment about idolotry? It is as relevant today as ever before.

Perhaps this is one of the root causes for the rampant drug use, profound depression and high suicide rate in Hollywood. The same goes for those who will do anything necessary to join the ranks. I have nothing against "show biz" but I've grown to love the small realities of life and the knowledge that truth is always more fascinating than fiction. It takes longer than we would like In some cases, but eventually, the truth will out.

Could some of this be an explanation for the idol worship of Barack Obama? That's a cultural phenomenon for another article.

DU students clueless on free speech

"How far do you think free speech should go?" was the question in DU's student paper, the Clarion, March 4 edition. I was stunned at what I read in the answers of five students. Not one of the responses printed, showed the slightest understanding of what free speech is or why it is important.

One by the name of Carolyn stated, for example: "When you start targeting and hurting specific groups, you're taking free speech too far and abusing the rights that have been given to us."

If I may use this as merely an example: When did you begin to believe that the Constitution guarantees your right not to be offended? When did you begin to believe that the government GIVES you rights at all? Our founders wrote the Constitution and our Bill of Rights to PROTECT the rights they believed were inalienable-that is, not bestowed by any government.

The growing confusion about the simple and clear definition of free speech itself is troubling and doesn't bode well for the education of college students, let alone K-12.

The First Amendment protects you from being punished by the government for what you say. It does not protect you from being criticized by your friends, those for whom you work, clients you serve, or even those who say stupid things. It doesn't even protect celebrities from those who refuse to watch their movies for something they've said.

It occurs to me that one of the reasons so many people have trouble with this, is because they think the government and all other private institutions are one in the same. That, to put it bluntly, is frightening.

When the private and public merge, the government can control everything you say or do. Think about it! Better yet, Carolyn, Laura, Dylan, Jessica and Riley, please pick up a copy of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I think you'll find it a fascinating reading.

Editor: This was published as a letter in the April 22 edition of the Clarion