You, stop now and think.
You see that celebrity across the coffee shop? Is your instinct to grin and gush and fawn over them? Trying to decide if you have the temerity to approach and offer a kind word or ask for an autograph?
What the hell for!?
Think.
What has that person ever done for you? Sure, it's possible that you appreciate the work of that artist/politician/actor/author. But it is equally possible that you find that celebrity's work to be utter crap. Still, you sit there all a-twitter in the proximity of 'Someone Important'.
Garbage.
If you can, halt your media induced stupor for one minute and be in the moment. Look at your surroundings. Who in this coffee shop should you revere? Who deserves your attention and kind word?
It might be the cashier who, despite waking at 4:15 AM, five days a week for the past 3 years, always greets you with a smile and a warm "Good Morning" - even when you're tired, annoyed and an absolute bitch for no reason other than it's early. It might be the barrista who, regardless of doing the same thing day after day for going on 4 years now while studying full-time and trying to find 3 minutes a week for a social life, takes care each morning to make sure your milk is steamed just a little bit hotter than he would normally do - because that's the way you like it.
These people are the celebrities. These are the ones who deserve your attention and your gratitude.
You want to argue that they get paid to do those things for you, so any extra isn't deserved? I call bullshit again! The actor you would so gleefully fawn over helped a movie studio and distribution system take several million dollars, $8.50 at a time, for what he does. He got paid. The politician has been campaigning for the past 3 months to get re-elected. This campaign process burns tens of millions of dollars for her alone. When was the last time she voted "No" when a congressional pay raise was up for a vote? She got paid.
They both got paid, and because you're too stupid to recognize that you're paying them for the privelege of kissing their ass, you'll probably pay them again and get very little in return. But every morning - every. damn. morning. - your coffee comes across from a helpful pair just the way you like it.
Ask them for their autograph, and strike up a conversation. I'll bet the service gets even better.
Posted by MRN aka "The Husband" at October 14, 2006 11:42 PM | TrackBackWell said.
Spencer Tracy is to have said that his job wasn't important. Acting isn't important, it's acting. Now plumbing, that's an important job.
Find a Vietnam Vet who's willing to talk a little about his service. Or a WWII vet, if you're lucky. Korea is even a better example. Kuwait and the current Sand Box will do as well. Those guys know important versus famous.
When I was a kid working with Vietnam Vets in a textile mill maintenance department, I learned very quickly that those guys didn't bluff and were not impressed with big shots. They also knew important versus famous.
The regular guy and the average girl working to make ends meet. Raising a family and doing the right thing by their friends and neighbors. Those are the people that make a difference and who deserve respect.
Dan Patterson
Arrogant Infidel