Why are americans more concerned with celebrities and their life, than actual nation issues?

Question

ive been doing some surveys in los angeles, inland empire and orange county and guess what people,

people are more concerned about TV shows, celebrities, apple i phones, gucci bags etc.

than actual nation issues like the economy, the war the housing problems, indymac bank failing stuff like this

whats going on?

i mean i love movies and music and im 21 yrs old with a decent social life, but im not just thinkin about what katie holmes is gonna do next or how much angelina jolie wants so her twins can be photographed, ( which i think thats ridiculous)

but i dont blame people, my friends including myself are under a lot of stress at work and they cant make ends meet

and all this stuff going i guess people right now are really lost and bored hahaha

sometimes i think america is a very routine and boring country but arent all nations this way or am i wrong

Answer 1

I'm an American, and I could care less about celebrities. I'm 19, but the most I'm worrying about right now is getting the right education for a good career.

As far as politics goes, I will vote for whoever I vote for. I'm not putting up my personal preference because that's not the point of this question. Though, I personally don't like to get into political discussions. People almost never come to a consensus through argument when it comes to politics.

But I think you also believe what the media feeds you, too. Most people that I know could care less about Katie Holmes or Angelina Jolie. Then again, I don't live in an Entertainment Capital like California. I live out on the East Coast.

The majority of Americans I think (though I have no proof) actually care about their nation and are concerned, but aren't as vocal about their opinions as others. I'm certainly not very vocal about it to others.

Just keep in mind that we have a population of 300 million. I highly doubt that the majority of them are concerned on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are doing.

Answer 2

Excape mechanisms.

Answer 3

People don't want to hear the negative. No one wants to hear that nine American soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. They don't want to hear that major banks are closing. People only want to focus on those who lead the lives that we wish we could.

Answer 4

obviously americans are totally disconnected with everything having to do with anything of "substance".. and as for the obsession with celebrities..people just get bored with their lives.DUH

americans have been more involved with politics than they ever have before because of OBAMA. which is ridiculous because the only thing that is motivating them to be involved is that hes black..which is once again superficial..further supporting my point that most of the american population is uneducated and ill-informed about almost everything.

Answer 5

You should know that the country is dumbing its average citizen.  The primary source is tv.  Whatever is on tv, people absorb it all up.  Blame the current media.  I remember when the Disney Channel was all about the cartoons: Ducktales, Talespin, Gummi Bears, Dark Wing Duck, and others.  They were cartoons so I didn't think of aspiring to those characters.  MTV was all about the music videos.  

But now, they have live, human shows where there are people.  These people are considered "heroes" to many young people.  Young people can actually aspire to people on tv, real or actors.  And the young people try to act like them and forget about the important things.  

REALITY KILLED THE VIDEO STAR!

Answer 6

my opinion is that Americans are fascinated by celebrities because they lead the life's we want to live.....if it were not for our boring jobs, it is an escapism approach to coping with our own unhappiness.

I for one am fascinated when celebrities s***w up because it humanizes them. I always think -why would he/she be so stupid when he/she has so much going

Answer 7

Americans donate more money to help charities and those less fortunate than themselves than any other nation in the world.  

So we paid our money, give us our Entertainment Tonight and shut up already.

Answer 8

People focus on celebrities because they're living what the nation has built up as the "American Dream" -- fame, fortune, 'free time' and a LOT of stuff.  Look at you're own town -- L.A.  Almost everyone there is infatuated with the image they put out -- going thousands in debt just to have the nicest porsche.

It's upsetting that national issues come second rate to the new CoverGirl Lipgloss, but it's expected in a material world, I suppose.

The informed are the minority, because intellect isn't a main motive anymore -- first impressions and judgements can make or break your success (interviewing processes, etc.) in this country -- so that's where American interest stops.

Answer 9

Maybe its because they want to escape the real world. Most of us aren't going to become famous so it's sort of surreal and pretty much a fantasy and we want to know what it's like. Yet, we come back into reality and here we are in the midst of an economic breakdown. We just want to gett out of what we are in and get into something else that doesn't put stress on our lives. Also when celebrities have meltdowns and make fools out of themselves, it makes us feel a little better about ourselves. Haha. Well I hope I helped, I answered the best I could :).