With this week’s sad announcement that Jade Goody has developed cervical cancer, a rather cynical thought occurred to me that the timing and rather inappropriate way she was informed of the diagnosis was more of a Public Relations stunt than ‘the best way of informing her’ of the news.

Was that just me thinking that?

In this day and age where reality TV, celebrity relationships and the latest clothing/hairstyle/tattoos seem to grab the headlines, I start to wonder how far people will go to get some attention from the Public.

From the news that Peaches Geldof and Max Drummey of American rock band Chester French got married in Las Vegas to the tragic string of teenage suicides in Bridgend over the past few years. It is astounding how extreme some people’s actions are becoming to get the attention they feel they should have or often as a cry for help in an overcrowded time where it is hard to stand out in the crowd. According to sources Peaches and Max did not want ‘unnecessary publicity’ but decided to set out the facts after growing media attention. Yeah right!

But what will satisfy the hunger for approval, attention and celebrity that so many people secretly – or not so secretly – desire?

Look to our Olympic athletes currently filling the spotlight out in Beijing – the cyclers, rowers and sailors to name but a few of our medal winners. Their moments of stardom are a culmination of years of focused, hard work whilst they strive for sporting glory in a field that they excel in. This I applaud with all my heart as I admire and respect the sheer determination and time they put into achieving their Olympic goal, which often brings with it their place on the front or back pages.

However, the latest shouting match between Big Brother contestants or the recent hairstyle Agyness Deyn has adopted seem to capture the attention of so many of us but does not, in my view, deserve applause or that much attention. 

The dictionary definition of ‘celebrity’ is:
n. A person of distinction or renown
n. The state or quality of being widely honoured and acclaimed.

Surely we should be striving in our daily lives to achieve distinction and honour in our own strengths rather than searching for attention in a more superficial way. This way we may ultimately end up more fulfilled than the names which drift in and out of the media limelight from one day to the next.

By Synergy on August 22nd, 2008

Tags: Beijing 2008, Cycling, Media, Olympics

Tweet