Celebrity-itis

As in disease. I wonder what percentage of Americans are in the grip of it.

In my last blog, I pointed out that Batman of Dark Knight Rising is a billionaire, who, like most billionaires, according to the new GOP religion, is a hero, whose "job creation," or other heroic action, is essential for our society to function. That's why they and multimillionaires should get tax breaks, so that their share of Americans' wealth will become even more extreme than it already is, paying even lower tax rates than they do now: less than half the rate of the middle class, earning a middle class income, working a 50+ hour week.

But then, after all, billionaires are heroes, job creators.

And celebrities? Celebrities are the ones who keep the stupid slobs' attention, so they don't even think about how they're being ripped off, every day.

It's like a crime team. The billionaire is the thief, who hoists your wallet when you're not looking. The celebrity is the reason you're not looking: he or she diverts your attention: they're the con man's partners, so they share in the loot: that's why they're paid so much.

Most people are persuaded not to bother even looking. Cynicism about politics may be justified, but it enables the thieves, and disables a politics of community, or sharing power and wealth. It doesn't have to be this way, but we're taught that it does.

Our whole culture, created by corporate hype, has been unsubtly taken over by the likes of Jamie Dimon and the Koch brothers. They've sunk millions (mere change to them) in think tanks, media outlets, shows, movies, even colleges and universities, to persuade us: only the very wealthy should be free--that's what freedom means. Freedom to be rich, a celeb, so you can do anything--buy elections, or pollute, and not pay damages you impose on others. That's freedom. You can break laws and then change them, like Sheldon Adelson, who's apparently 'investing' $100,000,000 so a Romney administration will change (or ignore) the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Then he'd avoid a trial, maybe jail(!), for million-dollar bribes in the Chinese gambling capital of Macao!

What about freedom for the poor slobs who aren't multi-millionaires/billionaires? Too bad. You don't have enough money to buy freedom: you'll have to work even harder: 60+ hour weeks just to pay the rent and groceries. And if the billionaires' party gets its way, it will privatize Social Security and Medicare--and get even richer, but poor slobs will have to work until they collapse--in the street.

Like the serfs in the fifth century Roman Empire: yet the Roman Senators lived well--until the whole edifice collapsed.