22. if i were a famous writer
[NOTE: this is day 21's prompt, thanks to my frickup from yesterday. oops.]
i'd want to use my platform for something constructive.
people have been obsessed with fame and fortune since gosh knows when. in today's world, tv shows, movies, and social media glamorize celebrity culture to absurdly high levels. self-proclaimed "stans" spam their favorite celebs with messages begging for a follow or a retweet or a like or an endorsement or a shoutout or whatever the kids want nowadays. it's pretty crazy.
it reminds me of this quasi-fiasco on twitter a while back. dove cameron responded to a fan whose life goal was for dove to notice her by saying "aim higher babe". even though tons of people promptly proceeded to drag poor dove for her semi-savageness, i think she had a valid point. why the frick do we idolize celebs? why is stan culture a thing? why do we crave the slightest chance of validation from our idols? people are so weird...
so let's say you get your retweet or follow or shoutout or whatever. what then? it's just a click of a button, some pixels on a screen, a digital pseudo-link to a person you'll probably never meet. so? are you hoping for more followers? more popularity? more clout?
aim higher, babe. if you spend all your time looking for these things, you'll stray further and further from self-fulfillment. before you seek approval from others, you need to approve of yourself first!! be the you that comes from within.
fame's a funny thing. not everyone is cut out for it. you hear stories all the time about celebs plagued by fatigue, depression, mood swings... it takes quite a toll on you. i'm not sure people understand how difficult dealing with fame can be. and yet, fame seems like it's almost always the name of the game. but, to adapt the words of syndrome a bit, if everyone's famous... no one will be.
anyway, now that we've gotten my doomy-gloomy rant out of the way, let's return to the prompt. i felt like it was important to establish that i don't really care about fame. i care less about being a "famous writer" and more about being respected/altruistic.
so what exactly would i use my platform for? well, i'd basically tell my fans the same things that i said in this post. but i'd also assure them that it's alright to seek out validation in moderation. it's totally fine to be proud of your fandom. it's okay to be a fan of what someone does. and by all means, send messages to your favorite celebs telling them how much you appreciate them!! just don't let it consume you to the point of unhealthy obsession...
besides, a lot of famous writers were/are pretty down-to-earth people with pretty ordinary lives. shakespeare was just a dude who wanted people to relax and enjoy some plays. c.s. lewis was a witty guy who also did some work with apologetics. john green can be found hosting crashcourse vids on youtube. jk rowling... er... well, she writes...
joke lang!! i just poke fun at her 'cause she's the most memorable author from my early childhood...
in conclusion (never use "in conclusion" in a formal piece, it's a terrible thing to do), fame is overrated and self-worth is very important. celebs are regular people just like me and you. being a famous writer or actor or athlete or musician or web star or whatever doesn't make someone better or cooler!! don't forget that you matter too!!
wow this post went hecka off-topic. but it's good to get all this off my chest. the world's pretty wacky, and fame is to blame...
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