Just got sent this link. Sums up pretty much how I feel.

For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column for the on-line website called "Monday Night At Morton's". (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) Now, Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his life. Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1302643/posts

Good article.

Good article.
Werd, my sentiments exactly. That d00d is smart.

Ben Stein is a fucking POS

that is all I need to say :) but I'll say more

seriously though that was trite crap

it may be trite to you and me, but when was the last time you heard a celebrity say that stuff?

what was so awe inspiring about it?

remember when you were little and kids in school were asked "who do you admire"

no one said a celebrity

everyone said usually one of three people

"a parent"

"an Astronaut"

"President of the US"

The way celebs have been acting has gone on for years and years...calling them stars has always been more about looks and glamour, "the stars shine so bright at the Oscars tonight" not what Stein espouses

besides he has never been a mainstream "Star" nor a wholesome person

his ego in real life is as damning as the one on his game show

umm, no. My little cousins look up to celebrities. One to allan iverson, and the little girl to hilary duff. Kids today, don't, as far as I have seen, look up to astronauts, parents, and presidents.

Astronaut allure is gone with the recent tragedies

President allure is gone with...I'll let you use your imagination lest this turns into a mess

Then looking up to the parents should be the most popular although I see why it is not, it is a problem with the parents if the kids are so wrapped up in celebrities who are only concepts created by expensive PR firms

More parent interaction...

I agree with his idea, but not with the war examples and the religious connotations.

boring...

nothing groundbreaking there.... though it did make me hungry for some Morton's steaks :aroused:

nothing groundbreaking there....
that about sums up Stein's career besides this classic quote read:

"Bueller? Beuller? Anyone?" (or something like that) :mdrmed: who knows he didn't write it

nothing groundbreaking there.... though it did make me hungry for some Morton's steaks :aroused:
That's the point. It's not ground breaking. It's plain as day. But for some reason, much of North America is celebrity addicted. I mean, god damn, I cancelled my cable partly because I was sick and tired of Access hollywood, E, star, etc etc, not to mention the reality bullshit. I have no cable!!!!because it's that bad.

I happily aver from American entertainment in general. I only like Mythbusters and some of the stuff on Cartoon Network. Oh, and documentaries. Mainstream TV is just stupid to me. Reality shows provide no allure.

Here in southern California, most of the news you see are about celebrities, trends, how to look beautiful and such. Funny thing is I never noticed it, until my cousin from St. Louis visited once and pointed it out.

I agree with his idea, but not with the war examples and the religious connotations.

Religious "connotations"? Those weren't connotations, those were outright religious assertions. Overt preaching of a variety that would not pass muster on this site. Very off-putting to the atheist.

I'm and Atheist, but I'm not a whiner. hmmm.

I'm not put off by it.

What he says has a lot of truth today.... sure grown ups may not idolize celebrities these days.. or maybe ever... but the youth/teen generation has practically worshipped them just at their most important years for development as a person...

why do you think we have so many teenagers insecure about their bodies? or guys obsessed with getting girls/money?


anyway... ben steins cool in my book..

I'm and Atheist, but I'm not a whiner. hmmm.

I'm not a whiner, I'm a stickler for accuracy. "connotations" hardly cuts it.