Why Do People Seek Fame?

1. Why Do People Seek Fame?

2. Dictionary definition of FAME is… widespread reputation, especially of a favorable character; renown; public eminence Raise your hand if… You want to be famous one day? You want to be famous and you don’t want to admit it? You would like to share the reason you want to be famous? To the Audience:

3. According to Orville Gilbert Brim, author of Look At Me!: The Fame Motive from Childhood to Death, there are four ways to fame: 1. Honorable fame where achievements greatly valued in our society are rewarded by bestowing fame 2. Associations with families and acquaintances and who you know -Example: When John Kennedy Jr. moved to New York City many people wanted to get to know him and one woman said: “I don’t know him but my dog knows his dog”. What types of fame do people seek?

4. 3. Someone who has become a public figure through seeking media exposure - These people have done nothing that deserves to be publically praised as an achievement. 4. Infamy- in the eyes of society it is an act that is injurious or evil, but in the general public it brings attention -Example: “balloon boy”- The father was seeking fame through this infamous act of pretending the boy floated away in the balloon in order to gain attention

5. Jake Halpern, author of Fame Junkies, said that many people seeking fame and celebrities who have achieved it have experienced deep rejection as a child, whether from parents or peers. The desire to be famous is to alleviate pain that was caused from traumatic past experiences. It is also a way of expressing to others, “I’ll show them” and to fill a void. For example, Marilyn Monroe, who spent much of her childhood in foster homes wrote in her unfinished autobiography, “I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anyone or anything else.”  WHY DO SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE NEGLECTED WANT TO BE FAMOUS?

6. According to Robert Fuller, Somebodies and Nobodies, fame is protection from indignity because it proclaims our worth to anyone tempted to put us down. Since humans are social creatures, embarrassment carries a threat of lacking necessities that are critical to health and happiness. As humans we are so sensitive to indignity because it poses a threat and can possibly prevent us from surviving in society. “Dignity assures belonging. It's more than respect or courtesy. To live in dignity affirms, nurtures, and protects.” How is fame protection from indignity and embarrassment?

7. Psychiatrist SaberiRoy believes fame comes from doing social good and serving the public with positive things. People are not famous because they were in need of attention but because they want to create something that is beneficial for humanity. Richard J. Vincent believes that fame comes from seeking media exposure. People become publicly known by being involved in the media. Alternate Perspectives

8. People seek fame for different reasons. They include: doing greater social good reaching high levels of achievement in one's career to be productive and make money. to alleviate pain caused by past events to be accepted by society To protect themselves from embarrassment conclusion