Teenage Paparazzo

Stop what you're doing and set your DRV to record "Teenage Paparazzo" on HBO. This documentary created by and starring actor Adrian Grenier from Entourage follows the story of a 14-year-old boy aspiring to be paparazzi in Hollywood. The movie goes much deeper than that, however; it's a glimpse into 'why is our culture so'. One fact given was an experiment showed that monkeys would pass up food for the opportunity to see photos of the dominate monkey in their group, or those of another monkey's hind-quarters. Typical. It is hard-wired into us to feel connected to those that society has deemed the leaders of the pack; we want to feel close to them and accepted. Additionally, over 40% of grade school students surveyed reported preferring to be 'an assistant to a celebrity' over 'owning a Fortune 500 company, being a US Senator, or the President of Harvard University' later in life. Why do we care so much? The answer is simple, it's a rewards based system. We gain acceptance and self-worth out of our media. Though we usually see TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines as sources of information, they are also tools that we derive self-worth from. Media cares about you. It gives you insight and it's looking out for your best interest. A tree doesn't do that. Trees don't care about you- Media does.
We all know that money is the bottom line. If media's main goal was that of humanitarianism, all outlets would be free. So why do we have this personal connection we have with these non-living sources? Why do our brains light up like pinball machines when we see pictures of our favorite celebrities on the red carpet, or in not-so-flattering positions?
The question for me more so is this: How can I take what biology has given us, the parameters society has placed around it, and the psychology of our concepts of two of theses things-- and make a living off of it?
I'm feeding into this machine. We all do. We all will for time to come. The context changes through out the decades, but the human nature remains the same.
Maybe one day I'll find my reward in this insane system.