Awful people
Celebrity adulation has created a class of creeps
The recent revelations about movie mogul Harvey Weinstein are truly disgusting. And yet, are they really that surprising? Over the past few decades, allegations have come out about a whole host of men in positions of authority who have abused their power or prestige for their own gratification — Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Donald Trump, Michael Jackson, Mel Gibson, R. Kelly, Woody Allen, Bill O’Reilly and Roger Ailes.
There are examples from decades ago, too, of course — such as Ted Kennedy and Roman Polanski. The groupie culture in the 1970s rock scene was quite abusive, as plenty of famous rockers committed statutory rape against underage girls. Moreover, there are longstanding rumors about the rampant abuse of minors in Hollywood.
It is past time to have a serious discussion about how powerful people seem to believe they are subject to different standards than the rest of us. Unfortunately, because Mr. Weinstein was such a politically active liberal, conservatives were quick to try to embarrass Democratic politicians. Liberals responded by noting the many accusations regarding Fox News, as well as the Access Hollywood tape of Donald Trump talking with Billy Bush in a crude fashion about sexually assaulting women.
Both sides are half right. The truth is that there is enough bad behavior on both teams to go around. The partisan dynamic of this squabble overlooks a very unsettling point: Too many of our cultural, social and political elite, regardless of party or ideology, think the requirements of basic human decency do not apply to them.
Maybe it is time to start asking, are the celebrities wrong to think that? Are so many of them misbehaving because they know that, when push comes to shove, there's a good chance we'll let them get away with it?
John Adams was arguably the crankiest Founding Father, but, not coincidentally, he also had the best understanding of human nature. He knew that human beings have an instinctive tendency to admire the “aristocrats,” those who are set apart in some way — by birth, genetics, riches or talent. We put them on pedestals and ultimately hold them to different standards.
Adams would remind us that this is inherent to human nature, and there is simply nothing we can do about it. No doubt that is true, but still, I count this as an enormous downside to the cultural extravagance of modern Western civilization.
Since World War II, the average American has had plenty of extra money to spend on entertainment — especially movies, television and music. This income has migrated into the hands of a relatively narrow slice of people. Yet these cultural oligarchs have gained much more than dollars and cents. They enjoy a widespread social esteem that, just a century ago, would have been completely unthinkable.
Stephen Foster was one of the greatest and most popular American songwriters of the 19th century, but he would not get mobbed when he walked down the street — the way people clamor around even the least talented among today’s celebrities. Ditto Edgar Allen Poe or even Mark Twain.
The celebrity of the past was completely different than the celebrity of the present. Indeed, there are now vast industries that manage and promote today’s celebrities, through which people can themselves become rich, powerful and famous.
In my view, this is a problem, although it admits of no clear solution. It is easy for this kind of adulation to go to a person’s head. If everybody you meet treats you like you are better than mere mortals, at what point do you start believing it and forgetting the obligation of common decency you owe to everybody?
And look at how many people have misbehaved, and gotten away with it, or were eventually forgiven. Is it a surprise that such outrageous behavior seems so ... conventional among today's celebrities?
Maybe I’m on to something, maybe not. But I do know one thing: There are an awful lot of awful people in charge of our culture these days.