Is America Too Obsessed With Celebrity To Have Serious Elections?

The image from this week that (unfortunately) I cannot shake from a sad corner of my mind is of ($80k a year, government paid democrat) Kim Davis: eyes closed, mouth agape and arms wide open (yes, that was a keen Creed reference).

Thrice-married (but never hyphenated) Kim Davis was literally basking in the cheers of like-minded evangelical supporters, who for some reason are threatened – yea  terrified – by other people having rights, too. (A crowd also fashionably-fundraising ignorant that America is not a theocracy.)

I can’t help but accept my gut feeling that for Kim Davis, this “Eye of the Tiger” moment outside a Kentucky detention center was one all humans long for in one way or another: being the love-center of mass of attention. “They like me! Finally, they really, really like me!” Self-worth through mass veneration. Celebrity. As the rest of the world says, “How very American.”

This window-sticker feature of modern Americanism has grown a lot over the last decade. Historically, American entitlement was limited predominantly to wealth and social privilege. Today it includes fame and adoration. We deserve to be adored.

Placing such a high level of importance on fame is one of the root causes of the circus we now call American elections. Celebrity and bravado have usurped seriousness and competence. That’s why as America ramps up to vote for a president we have wall-to-wall (paid for by Mexico) coverage of clown cars, strong men, and bearded ladies to keep the attention of the studio audience.

The media technology and stature progression from broadcast news and Tom Brokaw, to Twitter endorsements and Kim Kardashian has evolved American culture so that we can no longer be serious-minded about anything existing in the public realm. If it’s public, we demand that it be shiny, pretty, and have sexy lips. Nay, if it’s public we automatically assume it’s not serious, which prevents any real dialog from entering a national election in America.

Gravitas exists only in books.

What does this have to do with Kim Davis? Besides two republican presidential candidates literally cock-blocking each other to politically exploit her hyper-selfish martyrdom, she’s a demonstration – or rather a result of – how the desire to be adored causes us to act illogically and allow situations to get out of control.

During elections, most democrats enjoy watching the fist fight that is a republican primary: a bunch of wealthy people (and therefore entitled to rule over lower castes) proving to NASCAR nation which can be the toughest man in the room. Even the women candidates intentionally walk as if they have cajones: a republican candidate without swagger is boo’d off the debate stage. They do it because it’s what the republican base demands of them. Those who don’t entertain don’t win.

Democrats aren’t immune to this phenomenon, either. Bernie Sanders’ numbers have nothing to do with Bernie Sanders. He’s been around for a long time and the ideas are old. His numbers are a result of “lily-white suburbanites” who suddenly feel shiny by saying his name whenever polled. Here in California, it’s already the same for the race for the governor’s mansion… in 2018! Gavin Newson (pretty boy and prettier family) has already declared his candidacy, and is running a campaign more like a reality TV show than a serious public servant… yet democrats flock to the celebrity. It feels good. It’s exciting. It’s shiny.

I miss Tom Brokaw.