Even though I agree with everyone that this piece has strong themes about society/class/family, I believe a deeper interpretation can be found elaborating on the concept of "celebrity." Sankaran's story disturbs me because she makes me think about celebrity, America, and my students in a new way.
Examples of celebrity litter the text. Beyond the obvious red carpet reference which Maydum refuses to acknowledge as part of who she is, there is Raju's naming his daughter after a Bollywood star, and the worshiping "peasants," from the kitchen to the grounds, who adore Maydum for what they perceive as her celebrity stature. The opulence in which she lives also promotes this concept. But beyond the list of evidence, Maydum reacts like a modern celebrity. She lives in a world protected from the forces which alter and change Raju. Therefore she can play her part and then just as quickly revert back to her Paris-Hilton-party-mode and forget Raju, his family, and their situation.
I fear this same commiditization of celebrity is happening to many of you. Your online Facebook or MySpace profiles promote an atmosphere of celebrity to others, and even your status as seniors make you celebrities to underclassmen who see you as models for how to create themselves, just as Raju sees Maydum as a model for his daughter.
So what are your thoughts on the concept of celebrity? Do you agree with my analogy? Post your ideas here.
"Celebrity" can have a variety of different definitions. In America, we view a celebrity as people in the movies, models, and music artists. As you have said, Mr. Getty, this story defines celebrity in a new way. Everyone, or mostly everyone, who has a Facebook or Myspace profile takes photos at their best angles or writes about themselves in such a way that is either a lie or promotes their best qualities only. That sounds like a terrible way to make people like you, but many people do it for a sense of acceptance. If you are over that phase and put the truth online, there are other ways of making yourself a commodity. On facebook, there is the status update feature. This feature can also be re-named as "narcissism". You unknowingly believe that people want to know what you are doing when you are doing it. In comparison to promoting yourself with words and pictures, this new feature is done without knowing you are promoting yourself. Essentially, both ways are a method of commodifying yourself either consciously or subconsciously. The American culture or the idea of status is engraved into our minds. Our desire is to be known in a positive way to more people than the person over there or the person behind you. The concept of "popularity" is one of the biggest aspects in our culture through largely the media and now even social networking sites.
ReplyDeleteAs seen in the story, Raju idolizes his boss, and wishes his life was just as easy and carefree. Raju's neighbors are in the same social class as Raju, and they also see his boss as a celebrity. The author portrays Maydum as an almost American celebrity in the fact that she did not dress like typical Indian women, she did not act like them by going to parties, and her life was constantly in the public eye whether she wanted it to be or not. On the contrary, American teenagers today want to be known. Like Krystal said, the idea of popularity is very appealing to today's society, especially with the constant attention to celebrity gossip. Ordinary people want to be popular- they wish they were a celebrity. That way, if they were famous, their lives would be easier, more fun, and everyone would always be interested in what was happening in their lives. The whole point to some people's profiles on these sites is to add as many pictures of themselves as they can, and post their status every other minute, so that they feel as if people are interested in what they are doing. So many people are self-absorbed or have the false notion that they are something else- that they are the best, and everyone wants to be or know them. With this concept of constant competition for who is better and more interesting, people continue to participate in this imaginary contest. Teenagers need to realize that the point of these sites is not to promote yourself, or see how many friends you can have without actually knowing a single one of them, but the point is really to just have a way to socialize with friends you have actually met. By being surrounded by the fantasy world of celebrity life, the average young person will not be prepared for reality. That is why people should realize that you cannot make true friends without actually meeting the person, and that in the real world, no one cares how popular you were when you were younger.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Red Carpet" we see the theme of Maydum acting as an American celebrity, carefree and self-consumed. Yet we also see her concern and the way she reaches out to Raju and his family in their needs. This reminds me of the philanthropists that celebrities become, promoting themselves under the disguise of giving large sums of money to charity, or by adopting many children from third-world countries. Maydum may not have had the same motives as these American celebrities, but she certainly seems to have many similar qualities. It is sad how the bad from our culture sticks out so much, as well as some good aspects. I don't know that I agree that Raju would consider Maydum the model for his own daughter, considering his fear of his family seeing the other side of her, the wild side that parties like Britney Spears. Personally, on Facebook I don't like writing about myself on my statuses (stati?), and I don't consider myself to be publicizing about what I am doing. I usually change my status the song lyrics that I have just heard or that are unique. I like the provoke thoughts in other people by my status. Would that be considered drawing attention to myself? I like Facebook to connect with friends and what they are up to. I also like Farmville. Does that mean I am trying to be a celebrity?
ReplyDeleteCelebritization has become a growing aspect of American society--especially with kids of our age. Celebritization focuses on appearance. What you wear and how you look has become increasingly important in our culture. May-dum's emphasis on wearing skimpy, Americanized clothing helped to define her as a celebrity in the eyes of others. American teenagers today have gone further to promote themselves in the virtual world via MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. The reality is that what people post on the internet does not always show us the complete or honest picture of the person. It is a skewed perception. The problem with celebrity in general is this: it is based on false, built-up perceptions that are a waste of time to create in the first place. Think how much good could be accomplished with the time teens spend on social networking sites????? It's just crazy.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the idea of creating oneself as a celebrity is really like wrapping yourself in a protective layer of what appears as narcissistic thoughts and fame seeking concepts in order to hide an insecurity, for insecurity makes us vulnerable. It appears that Maydum experiences an insecurity as to the lack of acceptance and the constant criticism from her mother-in-law, which she attempts to cover up with her seemingly free and easy ways. This cover does not necessarily prevent acts of kindness or compassion as exhibited by Maydum's generosity towards Raju and his family, but may give others the picture of one who cares not about their fellow neighbors, as the social atmosphere many must surround themselves with can create a sense of impersonality.
ReplyDeleteMaydum does act like a celebrity throughout "The Red Carpet" but it does not seem to me that she really knows of her celebrity ways, she has feelings as well. Maydum is critizied from her mother-in-law and others, like Raju. I don't think all celebrities are bad but not all are good. Some do give back while others just take. Maydum gave back to Raju because it was something she felt was right. If you think about it that way even the celebrities that do harmful things are in some twisted way doing what is right for them. You cannot judge someone without really knowing them, you may only see the bad or just the good if you do not truly know the person.
ReplyDeleteI just want to address that I don't think the underclassmen look at us as role models, just saying. :)
Celebrities, as Krystal stated, has a plethora of different interpretations to Americans and other cultures. I believe that many of the underclassmen do look at us seniors as role models, but it is not expected of them to follow us, they should develop their own ideas for themselves and the image they want to hold. In the short story, "The Red Carpet," Maydum acts like a celebrity in the way that she is "different" than the rest of the culture and tries to set her image as someone of high importance, as she dresses differently and she essentially lives "two separate lives."
ReplyDeleteLike others above have expressed, the phrase celebrity can be interpreted in many different ways. People like Mia Hamm, David Beckham and Michael Jordan are perceived as celebrities however have more of that role model/ hero type characteristic which makes them good celebrities to look up to. However on the other end of the stick, bad celebrities exist too. From my perspective, 'bad' celebrities are everywhere too. They can be movie stars, models, music artists and even professional athletes. I'm not saying all these types of celebrities are bad, quite a few are good as well. But in a general sense 'bad' celebrities are basically into sex, drugs and rock n' roll. Lil’ Wayne for example, Taylor Laughtner, and perhaps Lindsey Lohan are swell examples?
ReplyDeleteWhen you say, "I fear this same commiditization of celebrity is happening to many of you" I do agree. Some of our seniors are engaging too much into this 'oh yeah party, get hammered, try some drugs and have sex with everyone' idea. So in that sense maybe they are celebrities, but like I said, there are both good and bad celebrities out there...
I agree with abruley that often our opinions of celebrities are based from false or skewed perceptions. Usually magazines and the tv will display all of the bad stuff that the celebrities do because it is juicy gossip and do not tell of all of the good that they do. Because of this we judge celebrities based off of rumors and appearances, not who the person truly is. In our culture people would judge Maydum as someone similar to Lindsay Lohan because of her drinking and her skimpy outfits because that is the only way she would be displayed in magazines that like to cause scandals. Her loving and caring personality would never be known. Because of this we should not judge celebrities as bad because the tabloids are only telling the public the gossip that will get the biggest response instead of showing the good in people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with I a mine in that people use popularity and celebrity like status as a security blanket. Maydum used her celebrity status as a security blanket, her mother-in-law judged and criticized her making her feel inadequate as a mother and as a wife. Maydum’s mother-in-law criticized her clothing and the way she dressed her daughter, as if Maydum was not representing herself and her daughter properly. To overcome this inadequate feeling Maydum made herself feel like she was a good mother by helping Raju’s daughter. When she received Raju’s family’s thanks and praise her insecurities were numbed, she helped Raju to prove herself a good wife and mother.
ReplyDeleteMany students also use the celebrity status as a security blanket today. Adolescence is a time when everyone feels insecure. Am I wearing the right clothes? Do I have enough friends? Do people like me? By having a million friends on networks like facebook and myspace students are able to numb that inadequate feeling, at least for a little while. Broadcasting themselves on facebook and myspace makes students feel liked and admired at the time, but those old insecurities will not go away just by social networking, just like Maydum’s mother-in-law will not go away.
I agree with Mr. Getty and all the comments posted. I especially agree with the part that Maydum can go to Raju's house and see how he lives, but then just go back to her seclusion and forget about it. Maydum being a celebrity allows her to go out in the public view, but then go back into her own world and society because she doesn't want to get swamped by people. Some celebrities go out in society, but when they feel like they have accomplished their affiliation with "normal" people, they go back into their own world. Most people do this with the home they live in, but some celebrities live in a bubble of people just like them, like Maydum. Raju lives in a society with people of all types, without being in that normal society, people don't get the same kind of experience and don't learn the same values and morals. With some kids who have myspace or facebook, they live in the real world, but then they go into their own world on the web. Some celebrities and some people on facebook escape reality by going into their own world, where they don't have to be themselves. Some people can lose who they are if they live in a world where you don't learn values because you have nothing to learn them from.
ReplyDeleteA celebrity is a person who is famously recognized in a society or culture. Generally speaking, a celebrity is someone who gets media attention and most frequently has an extroverted personality. There are a wide range of ways people can become celebrities, from their profession, appearances in the mass media, beauty or even by complete accident. I do not have a myspace page of facebook so I would not know about promoting atmosphere of celebrity to others through the internet, but I do have experience with the newspaper. I play numerous sports and reading the articles about our games and being recognized for what I do well is in some ways promoting an atmosphere of celebrity. I know many people who look forward to reading the article and reading their names in the paper, and even many who get upset if their name is not in the local paper. I compete in sports not for the attention or the recognition but because I love the games. But, I do believe that same commoditization of celebrity is happening to many people today in different ways.
ReplyDeleteAlong with everyone else, I would agree that celebrity can be interpreted in
ReplyDeletemany different ways. However no one is a celebrity just because of
their reputation in highschool. Celebrities are famous and recognized
world wide for their acting or musical talents, their t.v. shows, their
wealth, or their political status. It is all about who you know, how
much money or fans you have, and how much publicity you get. To me,
that is a celebrity. The most equivalent label I can put on a
highschool student percieved as a "celebrity" would really be a popular
kid. When everyone knows a persons name they are just merely popular. I
would agree that underclassmen look up to seniors and idolize to be
like them, but it is not because of our acting like "celebrities". The
reason why I people were so drawn to Maydum was because of her
confidance and presence. People found her fascinating because she was
unusual and bold, and they found themselves wanting to be around her.
The same thing applies to high school. When a senior is outgoing,
confidant, and has a presence because they are comfortable with their
friends, teachers and who they are, by the time their fourth year in
highschool comes around, it is appealing to the underclassmen. They are
new to highschool and trying to figure themselves out. They want to
have the same confidance and popularity. I would also agree with Norma
about facebook. I do not believe that the majority of us facebook users
are trying to promote ourselves as "celebrities" which would be
something we're not. To me it is not a competition of how many friends
I have or how good I can look in my pictures. Grace has posted pictures
where I look awful haha...but I don't care what people think of those
if they judge me by facebook pictures than they don't know me in real
life and they're not worth my time worrying about. There are however a
select few who make themselves out to be cooler than they really are by
updating fake statuses every two seconds and talking to people they
would never approach in real life. But I believe the majority uses
facebook for enjoyment and even educational purposes...ahheemm thanks
to Getty.
whoops sorry Getty i had to sign back in, so that was me copying and pasting what I had previously written and it ended up being spaced really weird.
ReplyDelete