Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Money, fame and corruption

Sometimes nearly unlimited money brings with it an upsurge of narcissistic indulgence, particularly in entertainers. The only real constraint on their behavior is from media exposure and lawsuits. As a result they get caught in a conflict between their desire for approval from others and their desire to engage in totally self-absorbed behavior, such as sexual exploitation of others.

Their money gives them the illusion of privacy; behind closed doors they believe they are able to indulge their most secret desires. When the illusion is broken they may suffer a severe narcissistic break in the form of depression, often deep enough to result in suicide. As members of the audience, we are willing to tolerate the most unacceptable behaviors as long as the perpetrator of those behaviors is willing to continue to entertain us. By continuing to buy tickets, we condone and even encourage those behaviors. It's as if child-molestation (for example) is tolerable if we like to watch the molester dancing or singing.

Like the Romans 2000 years ago, we will encourage and pay for savage or uncivilized behavior as long as it keeps us entertained. As a result, our society seems to have lost the power to reject those who deserve rejection the most.