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What do you want out of life? Do you hope to make the world a better place? Do you dream of becoming a millionaire? Or have you set your sights on becoming a star?
If what you want most is to see your name in lights, be featured on Entertainment Tonight, or have a mob of screaming fans swoon in your presence, you're not the only one.1 Many Americans dream of fame, and such fantasies tend to be more common among teens than adults. When Girls's Life magazine recently asked its readers to name their biggest goal in life, the largest number (35 percent) said that they wanted to become famous. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting2 found that many of the kids and teens it polled for its 2000 Roper Youth Report3 gave similar responses. Although wealth was the number one dream reported by young people, fame was near the top of the list. Beauty and singing talent--qualities often seen as routes to fame--also ranked high. We are all familiar with the dangers of fame. We've seen celebrities waste their millions, louse up4 their love relationships, fight with their families, and mess up their lives with drugs or alcohol. We've observed what too much money spent on too many plastic surgery operations5 can do to a person's face. We know about the pressures celebrities live with and the lack of privacy they deal with. So why do so many of us still want to be famous? Though TV might seem to be the fastest route into the spotlight, other types of modern-day technology also offer chances for self-promotion to wanna-be stars. Today, more and more people own or have access to recording and film equipment or publishing software. Huge numbers also have access to the Internet, and many people have their own Web sites. Fame seekers can use the Web to post a favorite mug shot, a film clip, or their band's touring schedule.9 They can do so for little cost and in a space that can be viewed by millions. The televisions in our homes are just as full of celebrity faces and facts. Some TV shows focus on nothing but the lives of famous people. Other news, drama, comedy, and sports programs introduce us to the actors, athletes, singers, and program hosts who become the objects of our fascination. The Washington Post was among the many U.S newspapers that decided not to run gossip columns14 during that time. "I would feel personally silly and irrelevant if I were doing my column right now," said Lloyd Grove, a gossip columnist for the Post. "I think my time would be better spent going to a blood bank15.?Cyndi Stivers, the editor of Time Out New York magazine, made similar comments. "It would be just obscene at a time like this to come out with some silly celebrity hoo-ha,"16 she said. Some people looked around at our suddenly somber, sad, and earnest nation and wondered: Has America changed for good? Have we passed into a new phase--one in which celebrities and their brand of fame no longer hold any meaning and value? It didn't take long after the tragedies, though, for celebrities to find their way back into the spotlight. Television and radio stations announced Michael Jackson's intention to make a record and donate the proceeds to disaster relief. Other celebrity responses to the attacks were also quickly made known. Within days, many top musicians, actors, and TV personalities joined forces to participate in a Tribute to Heroes celebrity telethon for the United Way.17 Every major network covered the event, which was watched by 89 million viewers. If we really have changed, that might not be such a bad thing. Recent psychological studies show that people who pursue extrinsic18 goals--such as fame, wealth, or public image--tend to feel less happiness and a lower sense of well-being than other people do. Having an extrinsic goal means being motivated by something outside of yourself. Extrinsic goals are only really accomplished when other people acknowledge them to be accomplished. Studies show that even people who reach extrinsic goals--achieving fame or wealth, for instance--tend to be less happy in their lives than people who set intrinsic19 goals. An intrinsic goal is a motivating factor that is inside you, instead of outside of you. People who set out to achieve personal growth or to build better relationships with friends or family have set intrinsic goals. Studies show that such people are more likely to be happy and to feel a sense of well-being than are people who set extrinsic goals. Teens tend to hear a lot about the need to "set goals" in their lives. But what if by setting certain kinds of goals, young people really are setting themselves up for future unhappiness? What kinds of goals have you set for yourself? Are you planning to spend your life chasing after the fame game? If what you really want is happiness, maybe it's time to change your plans. |
