tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196646904334239277.post7378809795512331940..comments2013-11-28T19:13:03.893-08:00Comments on He is the Wall-rus: Is It Creepy?Paigehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01614474261199901558noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196646904334239277.post-82469062361032470822013-02-27T10:38:38.686-08:002013-02-27T10:38:38.686-08:00of course......;)of course......;)Paigehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01614474261199901558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196646904334239277.post-33293717127886328062013-02-27T10:11:03.118-08:002013-02-27T10:11:03.118-08:00I have no idea what you are talking about. I only...I have no idea what you are talking about. I only see him as a talented musician and nothing else. ;)Ellen Workhardbekindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067727011172870081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196646904334239277.post-20025257956014434812013-02-26T16:00:58.235-08:002013-02-26T16:00:58.235-08:00Of course, I could just be trying to rationalize m...Of course, I could just be trying to rationalize my own tendency to be interested in any snippet of information about someone. Maybe I'm a hoarder--of information! I do it with historical data, with authors' biographies, with quotations I love, with anything that snags my attention and makes me feel something within, motivating me to write or create. I suspect that most people express their "fandom" in healthy, respectful ways that may not always be regarded in such a way by those who don't "get" it.<br /><br />That being said, I'm happy to have company as we continue trying to sort the mindfulness from the madness!Girl Fridayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04471190671674947727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196646904334239277.post-31571409211837706672013-02-26T15:44:47.961-08:002013-02-26T15:44:47.961-08:00Thanks for grounding me! I appreciate your willing...Thanks for grounding me! I appreciate your willingness to consider this with me, as someone with similar roles and perspectives. I love that you bring it back to a centered and healthy space. I agree with your ultimate sensation on it! Paigehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01614474261199901558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196646904334239277.post-67636262253724790182013-02-26T15:38:16.763-08:002013-02-26T15:38:16.763-08:00Once again, Paige, a thoroughly thoughtful entry t...Once again, Paige, a thoroughly thoughtful entry that touches upon my own conscious musings. <br /><br />Let’s focus upon the idea about a childhood photo—seemingly benign, pedestrian, perhaps even downright boring (even if cute) to anyone who isn’t the parent of the subject featured in the image (or grainy home-video).<br /><br />Yet, when “celebrity” lands upon the aforementioned child—now an adult, perhaps one who’s even forgotten about some silly photograph of her squatting on gravel while religiously tending to her father’s hubcaps with a soapy sponge (I confess—it’s me at age four!) or grinning shyly at a birthday cake while wearing a hand-me-down ThunderCats “muscle tee” (another confession—me at age seven!)—that tiny bit of nostalgia suddenly becomes fodder for public forums.<br /><br />I don’t think it’s necessarily the image itself or what is going on within the frame of the camera’s shot that entraps attentions so much. It’s more of a curiosity about the person that “child” turned out to be. Could there have been a window of opportunity for the fan to have known that person in the photograph before fame? For fans, admirers, aficionados—whoever and however you want to call them—of a particular person, there will always be this wistful longing to know that person. To touch-base. To make contact. To befriend. I don’t mean this in a stalkerish way, either, but, rather, in a very naturally-human way. The need to connect and to feel understood and to understand others is a compelling force, and we don’t always control it.<br /><br />In other words, a photograph from “bygone days” is a portal into pre-celebrity moments, a time when, perhaps, the fan may have had a chance to befriend this up-and-comer. A toothy-grinned child with disheveled hair and sans-haute couture or make-up is significantly more approachable than the alternative: the well-dressed, nicely-coifed adult with a hefty following and wallet. What is more, while a childhood snapshot may induce sounds of “awww,” or words of “how cute,” internally, the viewer marvels at the person that child turned into now and perhaps even wonders if it’s possible to already see genius, artistry, or madness (depending on the person in question) painted upon that individual even early in his or her life. <br /><br />Am I comfortable with personal photos floating through the internet and getting caught all-too-often in its sticky web? Instead of being quickly sucked dry, it seems regurgitated and spread around consistently, from greedy “spider to spider” (if we may be so bold as to dub the users of the World Wide Web). Not always. It really depends on the source rather than the photograph itself. As someone against invasion of privacy as a rule, I don’t believe anyone’s personal property should be released for free consumption for any reason, unless okayed by the owner and subject of the material.<br /><br />And yet, to be honest, most good-natured people (anyone worth admiring) wouldn’t really waste too much time dwelling upon a leaked photograph of him or her at age five the first day of kindergarten. Or even the horrendous high school yearbook photo. You know what? It’s a gift to fans, because it reminds these supporters that it’s not the image or the origin that necessarily makes someone “Famous.” Instead, everyone comes from the same sorts of humble beginnings—infancy and vulnerability—and must climb his or her way towards some goal, lofty or otherwise. One of the greatest gifts a “famous person” can share with admirers is his humility and humanness. Such a gift reminds others to continue pursuing their own dreams, to disregard their past or looks, and to focus on their future and internal strengths within. <br />Girl Fridayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04471190671674947727noreply@blogger.com