Paparazzi: An Embarassing Part of American Culture Essay

Imagine living in a fish bowl. Every move you make, magnified by the glass surrounding your whole existence; every flick of your hand, exaggerated by the bubble that surrounds you; every little notion taken and dissected by the ones distantly observing you outside the fish bowl. Not such a pretty experience for somebody so vulnerable and meek. However, why do we, as a society, feel it is ok for celebrities to be treated with such cruelty, and such blatant disrespect for privacy? We may not realize it, but celebrities are now like small, vulnerable fishes living in a world that, much like a fish bowl, does not give them any smidgen of privacy. This is not anything new. We see it in the hottest gossip columns, in those cheap tabloids, and in those entertainment-themed television shows each and every day: paparazzo stalking celebrities who have now become household names. Paparazzi and their stalker-like tendencies, are part of American culture, they have been imbedded in the veins of our society. Tabloids and paparazzi shots are ordinary to American culture, for some people, they part of everyday life. And because we find it so common and ordinary, we forget that this is not the case in the rest of the world. In most Asian countries, celebrities are appreciated for their craft, and they are given much respect and are treated with much accord. Although there are a lot of gossip columns, they retrieve information based largely through simple interviews with the celebrities. However, the trend in American celebrity journalism (if you could even call it that), is sensationalism. And to make these odd and exaggerated claims more believe, a picture, unfortunately, is given as proof. Take for example, pictures of Brad Pitt walking nude while on vacation in some island circulating the internet. Mr. Pitt has never allowed himself to be shot (in a movie or for a photo shoot) completely naked, exposing even his private parts; but with the paparazzi’s intrusion of his privacy, he now has his nude pictures scattered all over the internet. My point is simple; paparazzi and the pictures they take are very intrusive and give absolutely no respect to celebrities. And the reason why paparazzi continue on stalking the most popular celebrities is because they get huge paychecks for one controversial picture. They are making a living out of these celebrities pictures, and they even get perks like free trips to wherever the celebrity they are tasked to follow plans on vacationing. Tabloids are willing to pay huge amounts of money for these pictures because they get higher sales when they print more intrusive and more controversial pictures. So in the end, it is not just the paparazzi’s fault, it is not just the tabloids’ fault, it is the fault of the American public who purchase and show interest in these tabloids and pictures. And just like any other positive movement, a single person convinced to stop wasting their time and money on these intrusive pictures, is a big help in finally putting a stop on this embarrassing industry of ugly journalism and disrespect for the basic right to privacy. Main Point: Paparazzi shots and sensationalism is an embarrassing and intrusive part of the American journalistic world, and of American culture. Summary: Paparazzi and their stalker-like tendencies, are part of American culture, they have been imbedded in the veins of our society. Unlike in Asian countries where celebrity journalism is less intrusive and maintains respect toward celebrities’ privacy, the trend in American celebrity journalism is sensationalism. Tabloids are willing to pay huge amounts of money for these pictures because the American public patronizes the more intrusive, more controversial photos. The American people should stop wasting time and money on this embarrassing part of American culture.