Escapism...A Riposte

Early on, my fellow contributer and I identified the possibility that we needed to ensure that we spoke with different "voices" in order to confirm that we are in point of fact two different posters. In all actuality, I don't think that will prove to be much of a problem, but in an effort to underline that intent, I will put forth my own take on the topic that he broached.

Why is America, or the World for that matter, so interested in sporting events? Do we watch them because we appreciate greatness? Is it for the possibility that we believe that there is some tangible benefit to being present when history is being formed? Are we attempting to live out our childhood dreams of fame and fortune through this brief exposure to someone that actually succeeded in an area where we only wish we could?

The answer, in many cases, to the final three questions is, invariably, "Yes, we are." But, like so many other things, giving a simple answer to a complex question is inadequate. I am as much a fan of Occam's Razor as anyone else, but all things are not equal, therefore a simple explanation will not do.

The fact of the matter is that watching sports is but one of many activities that many people the world over use to escape the drudgery that they believe is their life. For that brief span of time, however long it is, they are not the dull office-going, 9-5, pencil-pushing, blue-collar dweeb that they alway promised themselves that they would never be when they were a kid.

As activities go, watching sports is far less harmful than other activities that I can name, alcoholism, and drug abuse are two easy examples of something worse.

I am not disagreeing that they are paid an exorbitant amount of money, but, quite simply, their salaries are not measured by my yard-stick. Much like the prohibitive costs of theater tickets, the price is set by the audience. In other words, they only make what the audience is willing to pay.

How much would you be willing to pay to escape the idea that you have become everything that you swore you would never be?

What I find to be intriguing is the three part cycle which we, as fans and fellow escapees put these people through.

1. The need to hold them up as icons of our society. Athletes, Actors, Singers, and anyone else in the entertainment industry are hero-worshiped. Usually you have to have some modicum of talent, but not always. Because all we see is their public face, sometimes, looks are enough to generate a following.

Take Paris Hilton, for example. Decent enough looks (that is if anorexia is appealing to you), no acting talent whatsoever, and yet her name has been in lights for years. Let me go ahead and do away with the suspense for you: You will never see the cure for cancer on "The Simple Life."


2. We need to destroy them, to vilify them and anyone that is associated with them. Sometimes, it would seem that one of the only things we like better than a hero, is to see that hero fall. Why is that, do you think? Personally, I think that it is because we all have something of an ego problem. Just how long are we going to be willing to hold someone up as being better than us, knowing that they probably pick lint out of their belly button just like everyone else? How long are we going to forgive them their foibles before we feel the need to crucify them?

Look at Michael Vick. Last year, the man was an example for all the youth, particularly black youth, of Atlanta. Now...Could there be a bigger villain?

3. We need to see the underdog win. We need to see someone that has fallen about as low as they can to come back and make it good. Why is that? Is it merely because we celebrate their success in some beautiful altruistic manner? Far from it. It allows us to believe that if someone can go from being worse off than we are to being better off than we are, it is feasible to believe that we can do the same.

Don't believe me? Try this one: Lance Armstrong was a man that was a fair cyclist before he was diagnosed with cancer. After the operation and recovery, he came back and won the Tour de France something like seven times. He was touted as a hero for everyone, someone that came from behind and proved that he could be the best.

If only it would have stopped there. Unfortunately, it is a cycle that repeats itself. Apparently, he has been on top long enough, because now they are tearing him down again.

I guess that I should summarize by saying that I believe that the entertainment industry will demand only what they believe they will be paid. The lives of the people that we idolize will be important to us simply because they are not our own. And finally, we will only tolerate the hipocracy of our idolatry for so long before we feel the need to destroy the object of that idolatry, instead of coming to terms with the truth:

If we to take half as much interest in our own lives as we do those of our "heroes" we would not HAVE to escape them...