Tuesday, June 19, 2007

"GUIDED BY THE STARS"

Q: "Hey, Bono, don't young folks care about the issues?"

Ans: "Don't sweat it, dude; I'll take care of it."

By THEODORE DALRYMPLE / Los Angeles Times. San Antonio EXPRESS - NEWS, Sunday, June 17, 2007. Yours truly's free - wheeling adaptation, of course!

"The cult of celebrity is not new, but it is increasing in its scope and effect.

"At one time, people wanted simply to gawk at the famous, and possibly dress like them.

"Now, many take their moral and political opinions from them.

"Entertainers are the popes of our age, with de facto -- though as yet not de jure -- powers to call down anethemas on -- or beatify -- whomever they choose.

"Nothing could illustrate it better than the Web site of Rosie O'Donnell, the comedian and lesbian activist and, until recently, chief attraction on The View, who pronounces on so many subjects and whose utterances appear to be taken seriously by many.

"The most interesting, or revealing, question asked is:

"What kind of anti - depressant medication do you use?"

As the author had commented earlier in his article:

"When I was still in medical practice, more than a few patients used to ask me for pills to prevent them from thinking.

"The cult of celebrity trivializes everything it touches.

"But the I ask myself:

"Was there ever a time in human history when people judged serious matters by serious criteria?

"If so, when was it, and when did it change?"

"Theodore Dalrymple is the author of Our Culture, What's Left of It: The Mandarins and the Masses."

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