"Today's obsession with the rich and famous
has gone too far"
Deirbhile Ryan
Kylie Jenner, Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian are
just three of the richest and most famous people of today. I can almost
guarantee that everyone in this room has read a headline concerning them in the
last few weeks, if not days. One of the most worrying things for me as a
teenager, is that everybody around me idolises these people for doing... wait,
I actually don't know what they do that is so great. Ladies and gentlemen, my
name is Deirbhile Ryan and I am here today to convince you that our obsession
with the rich and famous has gone too far.
How many people in this room
have watched an episode of ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’? I see lots of
hands. That actually surprises me. It surprises me because a large number of
the audience here today have wasted hours of their lives, watching another
family’s life, as they squabble and fight with each other. Well I can tell you
now, you are all welcome to pay a visit to my home, where you can watch the
same drama, live...and free! We idolise this family because they have money, a
clothing line, good genes and make stupid headlines like ‘Kylie dyes hair brown’.
Have they ever donated money to charity? Have they ever helped a family in
need? Have they ever done something to change our future for the better? Well,
if they ever do, someone let me know and I will buy their entire box set.
You may be thinking ‘so what?’ or ‘I
love that show’. Well, as they say, each to their own and what not, but I could
list one hundred things I'd rather do than watch Kim have a break down over losing
an earring in the ocean. Our generation has made many trends and crazes that
have been for a great cause, like the ALS ice bucket challenge. There is just
one trend I will never understand, and I believe it shows the dominant role
celebrities play in our lives today. It is called ‘fandom’. It is basically an
online craze where you devote your life to a certain celebrity. Those who
idolise Justin Bieber are known as ‘Beliebers’ and I can assure you, they are
not just crazy teenage girls. They include demented men and women too, who
track his whereabouts, argue over his outfit choice, and travel thousands of
miles to catch a momentary glimpse of him walking from his hotel to his car.
Now please; if you think whether he wears a grey or white jumper is going to
change your life, think again. And how is he even famous? Oh yes, for writing a
one hit wonder before his voice broke, and drink driving on a beach in
California without a license.
Now I want you all to rewind thirty,
maybe forty years, where different types of people who were rich and famous
made the headlines, and for the right reasons. Bob Geldof deserved the world’s
attention for creating Live Aid, a charity that helps those suffering in Africa.
Princess Diana was on the cover of every newspaper for banning landmines and
hugging people with AIDS. This was at a time where people refused to even touch
someone with the disease. Mother Teresa, through her vocation as a sister,
chose to help the impoverished street children of Calcutta. Last but not least,
don’t forget the inspirational Nelson Mandela, the man who spent twenty-seven
years in prison to win freedom for black people in South Africa. People
idolised these legends because they made a difference. I would have happily travelled
thousands of miles to meet Mandela or Mother Teresa.
It is only when you make the
comparison between the rich and famous of today and those of forty years ago
that you really realise how obsessed we are. Mother Teresa is yet to be
canonised, but you can pay to have an emoji of Kim Kardashian on your phone.
For me, it does not add up. These people even influence what products we buy,
the brands we prefer, and make us pay crazy money to have an ounce of their
luxury. It's time that we focus on our own lives, and try to help others,
instead of "fangirling" over people who technically live on another
planet.
As I come to the end of this
speech, I hope you all see where I am coming from. For those of you who adore
celebrities and live for the latest update on their 'oh so important lives', I
hope I have managed to shed a new light on the meaning of ‘rich and famous’,
that I have convinced you all that we are far too obsessed with these celebrities
and their media inflated make-believe. Just remember; it’s not real and it’s
not really that important after all.
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