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We are inescapably drawn to the tragic nature of celebrity status. We mull over the deaths of celebrities like Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger, Brittany Murphy, and Michael Jackson, not because we miss their “art” but because we selfishly and maliciously love to be reminded of how these celebrities, no matter how larger than life they may seem, can still perish and die at any moment. The sad truth is that we have an odd fascination with seeing “great” people fall.

 

 

This is the curse of being Lindsay Lohan. Her every flaw is magnified. But her cries for help are buried amidst a crowd of “loyal” yes-men and exploitative agents. We are provided small glimpses into her world through the camera lenses of shameless paparazzi. TMZ provides us coverage of Lindsay leaving a club late at night or stumbling to catch her balance as she tries to avoid the army of cameras obstructing her every move. But what goes unreported are the reasons and explanations for her behavior. We are told she is merely an alcoholic drug addict who enjoys partying, because that eliminates our sympathy. The fact is that the more we dislike her, the easier it is for us to see her as more of a spoiled brat than a societal victim. The easier it is for us to wait anxiously for her demise than to actually intervene to help her. 

 

 

This is what we have become: savages. We no longer just embrace and applaud our artists; we now enchain and persecute them. Celebrities now exist as more than entertainers, they exist as scapegoats. We reflect our own vices and short comings on to them, so that we will never have to confront the Lindsay Lohan in all of us. This is the nature of celebrity: you sign up to become larger than life and you lose your humanity in the process. We no longer see Lindsay as a human being capable of being helped, but as an inevitably tragic character entering the Third Act of a play. 

 

So what can we do? Can we change the nature of celebrity? Can we eliminate the need for paparazzi? Can we change celebrity culture? The answer to these questions is: probably not. However, what we can do is make sure that we never cease to see the human being in these celebrities. We all have our vices, addictions, shortcomings, etc., and it is these deficiencies that make us human. Let Lindsay Lohan be more than just an example of a tragic celebrity. Let her be a reminder to each of us that no one, no matter how rich or famous, is anything but human. 

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