Page 166 - Cultural Studies A Practical Introduction

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Audience, Performance,

and Celebrity

Celebrity is both a long - standing feature of human life and a recent inven-
tion made possible by communications media that can inspire and main-
tain ongoing interest, fascination, discussion, and attachment with
particular people. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are distinctly modern events,
but they also recall a time when an emperor ’ s love affair with an Egyptian
queen was the scandal of Rome, something discussed and debated by the
city ’ s nobles and commoners alike, a love that was one cause of one of
history ’ s most celebrated assassinations. The great religious and political
leaders of the past were all celebrities; they possessed a quality that sociolo-
gists call charisma , a power to inspire trust and attachment in the popula-

tion as well as to sway minds and influence the course of events. Jesus of
Nazareth was such a charismatic celebrity, as was Mohammed of Medina.
Alexander the Great was “ Great ” precisely because he was able to muster
a population to form an army to conquer the then - known world. The fi rst
universities were organized around celebrity teachers such as Socrates and
Aristotle. Before Madonna or Tupac Shakur, Homer sang songs that made
him famous, and indeed, his name still lives on as one of the featured
celebrities of the literary canon, as much a “ must hear ” for infatuated
Oxford dons as Justin Timberlake is for infatuated teenage girls.
Fame and celebrity status are usually the consequence of one ’ s possess-
ing an extraordinary ability or quality of some kind that sets one apart from
others who are not capable of similar achievements or who do not have
distinguishing features that make them stand out. Celebrity exalts distinc-
tion, the difference of some from others. It separates, divides, and elevates,
and it provides a model of distinct greatness that rises above the common
lot. Fame in the past was usually associated with recognizably greater talent,
be it military, social, cultural, or political. Napoleon Bonaparte was a celeb-
rity because he was a talented military leader who was able to inspire his