Celebrity Blogging

Ariana Huffington has recently relaunched her blog ,this time featuring guest bloggers from a diverse set of backgrounds. These bloggers include politicians, public intellectuals, and even a few celebrities. When I first heard that I now have the opportunity to read John Cusack's thoughts on the world, the following question came to mind. Why, exactly, would I be interested in hearing John Cusack's thoughts on the world?

Our society's obsession with celebrity mystifies me. There seems to be no part of our daily lives immune from celebrity interest. Blogging strikes me as a rather egalitarian arena. (Assuming you have access to the internet, which is obviously not the case for everyone.) Create your own small space in the great big internet, publish your thoughts, and reap the rewards. (Or, in some cases, reap the whirlwind ) It's not who you are, it's what you write. Or that's the thought at least.

But there seems to be some sort of demand for hearing the thoughts of celebrities. This obviously doesn't have anything to do with their eloquence or their wisdom. Rather, it's driven by the fact that the public at large has an almost intimate knowledge of the day-to-day lives of celebrities, in which case being interested in a blog featuring celebrities is just a natural development. If you know what kind of cereal Will Smith buys at the grocery store, why wouldn't you want his insight on North Korea?

I suppose that kind of interest is fine for the millions of people who subscribe to People magazine. But I find it truly worrisome when our celebrity fixation gets in the way of important matters. A few years ago, Ohio Senator George Voinovich made national headlines when he refused to attend a congressional hearing featuring testimony delivered by a Backstreet Boy. This, I think, was the right statement to make. George would have been justified in skipping the appearance if the guy was merely singing (and dancing, which goes together when you're a Backstreet Boy), much less giving testimony relating to the environmental impact of strip-mining in Kentucky.

Let's hope this celebrity blogging thing doesn't take off.