Gone are the days when heroes were real. Gone are the days when people we looked up to were men and women of substance. Gone are the days…

I don’t know history. I don’t know politics. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you my supposed representative to parliament. Did you know Bangladesh has had 10 different Prime Ministers since independence? No? Neither did I. And if you don’t believe me, I Wikipedia-d that shit. Do you know about all these notable Bangladeshi people? I honestly don’t. These are the people who (in)directly  affect my life. They run this country. They represent our nation in the global arena.

Forget Bangladesh. How about some of the current top thinkers and leaders of the world today… mostly, no.

But, I do know my celebrity gossip. I know Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, George Clooney, Shahrukh Khan, Aishwariya Rai, Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra. I know who’s dating who, married to who and divorced who. I know what movies they’ve been in, and have seen most so many times I know the recent blockbusters by heart.

How did it come to this? Why are people pretending to be heroes, dramatized fictional characters, the people I know? Why do we idolize what I know to be mere entertainment? 

Just to be clear, I’m not hating on celebrities. They have a purpose, which is to entertain, to allow us a moment of escape to a world beyond our own, but when does it get to be too much?

In the past all a King had to do was look respectable in uniform and not fall off his horse. Now we must invade people’s homes and ingratiate ourselves with them. This family is reduced to those lowest, basest of all creatures, we’ve become actors! – King George V, A King’s Speech

Also, what the f*ck is this shit?

Are these film stars so hard up for cash that they need to reduce their personal relationship in advertisements? Yes we get it, you’re a couple now — we know. We’re happy for you. You look cute together and it’s a film-fraternity match made in heaven but is your identity so cheap?

Yes, many use their fame for good, but at the end of the day, it looks like most celebrities are just objects for us to fantasize and idolize. Sad thing is, it seems we’re all just sheep.

UPDATE (22JAN14):

A surprisingly brilliant presentation on the ideas of celebrity worship by Jack Gleeson (aka. Joffery Baratheon, Game of Thrones) at The Oxford Union. Who knew he was anything but a mean psychopath? The idea of who he is and what I’ve come to know based on what I’ve seen on the screen couldn’t be more wrong.