Poetry – To be a famous celebrity – A poem about arrogance, elitism and avarice.

Posted on by Opher

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To be a famous celebrity

Every now and then I catch a glimpse of Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice or Britain’s Got Talent and I am sickened all over again. Forty years ago I was sickened when the Americans squealed and went mental at dross. I thought it could not happen here. We were more discerning, more reserved.

But we are not.

The celebrity culture, support of trash, and desire for wealth is more pernicious than even.

Back in the sixties we thought we were actually building a better future based on values, where wealth, fame and elitism were banished. We thought we’d dispensed with the superficial and were looking for something deeper – friendship, spirituality, coexistence with nature, respect for difference, fun, enjoyment, relationship, music, dance, art, culture, equality, freedom…………………..

We recognised that fame and wealth does not bring happiness; that this mad rush for personal wealth and power (always at the expense of others) was no recipe for fulfilment. Life is not a race, it’s a sharing of spirit.

No lessons were learnt.

The game is played by a tiny minority who cream off the wealth and power, buy off the politicians, own the media and fool us all into slaving for their prosperity.

Nobody ‘earns’ a million pounds – let alone a billion or two. They accrue that by exploiting others.

The inequality of the world, the environmental destruction, war, poverty and desperation are the direct result of policies created by those who benefit!

We are fed pap in order to keep us quiet. We have carrots dangled so that we feel we can become one of them.

We buy lottery tickets and work like hell to join the ‘In Set’. We want to be on TV and be elevated.

I watched the Apprentice with its naked avarice and back-stabbing desire to claw their way to the top, to bend every rule and – WIN!!!

It’s disgusting, empty, vacuous and utterly destructive.

I do not want to live my life at the expense of every other living person and creature on this planet. I’m not worth it! Nobody is!

 

 

To be a famous celebrity

 

To be a famous celebrity –

Nothing less will do for me!

I crave for a penthouse suite,

A huge yacht,

And all that you’ve got!

 

I yearn for the fame and luxury –

Nothing less will do for me!

To get all that

I’ll rob the poor and even my old mum

And put a tariff on my bum.

 

I desire to join the Jet-set crew –

For me, nothing less will do!

I don’t care if millions starve and die!

As long As I’m not forced

To wonder why.

 

Wealth and fame for me is due –

For me, nothing less will do!

It doesn’t worry me

If we kill everything –

Every damn last tree!

Nothing less will do for me!

 

You know I’m worth it!

You know!

I deserve it!

More than you!

Nothing else will do!

 

Opher 2.1.2016

37 thoughts on “Poetry – To be a famous celebrity – A poem about arrogance, elitism and avarice.”

  2. I never watch programmes as you mentioned, I think they are always for the brain dead. Money, money it is all so many think about, will it actually make them happier I doubt it. I like to use my brain read/write watch programmes that really matter like wildlife. Looking at “Ocado” this morning to do my shopping what did I see Easter Eggs, January 2 and Easter Eggs?

      2. Somehow we have to find another way. There are millions of people out there who feel the same. If this machine keeps going forward destroying everything there will be no future for anyone – no matter how much money they have got stashed away. They are destroying the planet in the name of greed. We are being hypnotised with trivial superficiality, in the guise of entertainment, and lies. Sooner or later people have to wake up to this.

    2. Happy New Year Anna.
      I’d meant to say earlier, but not spotted you around until now. Plus I’ve been in bed for a week.
      In case I don’t make it, I’d better wish you for a happy Easter, too!

      1. Andrew, Happy New Year to you too. You will be around, I see from one of Opher’s sites you have a Chest Infection, they can be rather nasty I used to get a lot of them, I do so hope you will be feeling much better before too long. Andrew when you are better would you still be able to help me re Hotels in San Francisco, say No if you want to I will not be offended.

        Read your replies re the pub scene and those that frequent them in your area, have to say very shocked why is not something done – it has all gone too far. Forgive me, had to laugh the way you write it is so honest and well right there!

        Get well Andrew, nice hearing from you again.

      2. Hi Anna, no worries about help on the hotel stuff – I’m fairly confident I will live.
        Last week I wasn’t so sure. I could not walk 2 steps without near collapse because there was so much gunge fluid in my lungs. I’d never known anything like it despite that I have to live with COPD all the time and also have had pneumonia before. Now I know why some people can die from this extremely quickly. They basically drown. I can’t begin to describe the level of pain inflicted on my lungs. It was as if someone was wringing them out by hand like an old wet cloth. I passed out twice. Your lungs go into an involuntary spasm searching for air that can’t get through and your heart rate that usually works in tandem with the breathing rate is all over the place. It’s like trying to run long distance with just one open nostril, the other and your mouth are taped shut. Also, in normal situation, when you do breathe through your nostrils, they open and close alternately every 20-30 seconds. Therefore, there are points when you get absolutely no air intake at all. Very frightening feeling when this happens.

        My GP did not help matters at all. I knew I had an infection and didn’t dawdle about and got to the doc’s very quickly. She prescribed 5 days supply of 125mg strength anti-biotics, when they should have been 500mg for at least 10 days.
        I went back to the doc’s on new year’s eve and then spent most of evening, 5 hours, at the acute casualty unit at hospital getting x-rays and anti-inflammatory stuff. The doctors there rated me as “serious” and gave me 21 days supply of 500mg tablets. I declined to stay overnight in hospital. Today I can now walk 10 paces without having to stop for a rest. It’ll be a very slow recovery process.

      3. That sounds terrible Andrew. I didn’t realise you were quite that bad! Ginger Baker has COPD.
        Hope you are getting better!

  3. I wouldn’t give it too much credence Opher. It’s trash TV for trash people. We’ve always had the trash mentality. It’s just that they are catered for slightly differently. Back in the 70’s it was the Bay City Rollers – worshipped by schoolgirls that were just never going to be cool. I remember some from my school – wallflowers the lot of them. Married up to window cleaners aged 19, and tucked safely away into the depths of the council scheme for the rest of their shitty lives. The closest they’ll ever get to the spoils of the superficial wants lists of products as sponsored by their singing heroes, will be cheap black market copies from market stalls or attempts at shoplifting.
    You can see the state of affairs from those sitting in the audience. Fat plain looking girls sitting with their fat plain looking mothers, same bob-cut 1990’s hair cut, same platinum dye, same sparkly top. It’s just ghastly, just so common as muck as to only receive ridicule. Yet they’re seemingly having a great time. Karaoke with loads of lights seems to excite their combined toy brains into spasm levels of genuflection. I’m left wondering what kinda drugs their doctors are handing out to counter the obesity, programmes that the majority of them much surely instantly qualify for selection to.

    Personally speaking and I don’t give a damn what anybody wants to accuse me of here, but I’m quite happy in the knowledge that if I walk into any of my local pubs on a Saturday night from 7-9pm, I’m not going to be surrounded by the utterly intolerable (to me anyway) homosexual crowd.
    These guys make me vomit. I hate to see their behaviour in public. I’m very happy of any respite from it. So the more of these kind of shows on TV that keeps these fuckers out of my face the very much the better as far as I’m concerned.

    1. The gay scene doesn’t bother me. Live and let live is my motto. I don’t know why that should upset you.
      As for the trash TV. I know it has always been there; it just seems to have got worse.

      1. I’m not being sarcastic, but I’d very much doubt that you’re in any way whatsoever in the same sort of proximity to such any gay scene as I am. I live in the west-end, it’s all bars, dozens and dozens of bars.
        As you know the laws changed fairly recently. The whole homosexual scene’s game plan moved not an inch but a country mile.
        If you or I walked into a bar and shoved our hand up the back of a ladies skirt, 1 of 3 things are more than likely to happen.
        1) a good kicking out back from security 2) possible charges raised against by the lady in question 3) barred for life from the bar.
        Today, if a gay guy walks into that same bar and openly grabs the crotch of another gay guy, that’s absolutely fine and dandy. Everybody is as happy as a rent boy with a pay check.
        We have to watch and keep quiet. We’d be instantly branded as homophobic if we raised a complaint.

        Another example – let’s say you and I are sitting at a table having a chat about music as we did today. However, there are 4 gay guys on the nearest adjacent table. They’re all getting along swell in their gay merry way. So much so in fact that one of them decided to slide under the table, unzip the trousers of another and proceeded to suck his cock.
        We have to sit there pretending everything’s cool.
        I witnessed that as described above take place in my local, the Hug and Pint, Great Western Road, Glasgow, post gig for Reeves Gabrels on 10th October. The sucker is known as Lucy. she’s a half-post-pre-op – she has breasts but still has his tackle and is a former Speed dealer who went by the name of Alistair.

        So I should live and let live and not let that upset me and you have no idea why I should get upset.
        Really?

      2. In 2000, I worked as GM for Glasgow’s #1 independent entertainment group. They operated some 40+ outlets, a proportion of which are solely geared towards the “pink pound”. I used to have to enter these premises as was the nature of my job. The entire room would be gay men, bar staff, too. I have worked all over the world, despite that, I can safely say that I never witnessed such filthy, dirty, lewd and disgusting behaviour than I did in these bars. They were the most depraved and vile people that I have ever had the displeasure of ever standing near to. I never once touched any of them, never shook any hand, never drank anything. I counted every second until these site meetings were over with. I left that company in a hurry. Nothing about the homosexual or gay scene is remotely acceptable to me.

      3. Yeah – it has all gone a bit nuts and that sort of thing is not condonable. But there are laws – why aren’t they enforced?

      4. The pendulum has swung and as always it has gone to the extreme. The gay scene needs cleaning up. As always there is a period where the authorities do nothing (as with paedophilia) followed by a draconian crackdown where they go too far (prosecuting on hearsay).
        There is no excuse for what goes on like that in a public area. You’re right to feel infuriated by it. But that would be sorted if the right level of laws were enforced. The gay scene has gone from one extreme (underground and persecuted) to the other (open public sex). Both were wrong in my opinion.

  4. Exactly Opher. As I had said at the beginning, it is the behaviour of some of the gay community’s members (excuse the pun) that really bugs me. Not the being gay in itself – I can handle that (excuse the pun). Generally they tickle me pink, they probably amuse me more than I actually feel sorry for them. Their levels of self obsession is astonishing and it’s all they seem to talk about.
    But once that invisible line of acceptable behaviour is crossed…

    1. I’m all for obsession except it should be with something worthwhile like music, writing or reading. It seems that this obsession with celebrity, sex or fashion is so superficial. There’s more to life than sex.

    2. Andrew, I am so sorry that you are so ill. I had double pneumonia as a Baby which always leaves you with a weakness. How on earth did you get the infection and for it to be so bad. Its is so frightening when your lungs fill up, I am prone to chest infections and since being diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure I have to be so careful, it does frighten me. You really must rest as much as you can, have your tried to use Vic Rub, I know it is old fashioned but it will help and also a drop in some very hot water with a towel over your head breathe it in for as long as you can, that can help with the lungs. I hope you will be alright Andrew, taker care and REST.

      1. Because of the damage that smoking cigarettes does to the lungs, the result is chronic Bronchitis aka Emphysema aka Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), being the specific term that the medical people prefer to use today. It used to be either of the first 2, but it’s all the same thing.
        I have at best just 30% lung power left. At my age, 56, and had I been a non-smoker, I would expect to have around 80% power. Over time as one gets older we all naturally lose some puff power anyway. So I’ve got half of what I should have. And I know all about it as the symptoms are horrendous.
        With this recent infection I was down to 20% power.
        I’m afraid COPD cannot tolerate any severe heat, cold, and in particular steam, so the hot towel would only cause me severe problems. The symptoms are nothing like that of a normal chest cold, so the old Vic’s is useless, too.
        My lungs manufacture the thickest, stickiest, gungiest gloopy fluid you could imagine. It’s like the heaviest hair-gel product.
        It’s so heavy that I can’t cough it up. I’d give my self a heart attack just trying. I have to let it happen in it’s own time – which is about 90 minutes after the initial feeling of needing to.
        So that’s my day these days – 8 or 9 sessions one after the other of gunk removal. I eventually get to bed utterly exhausted.
        Because my lungs are in such a permanently weakened state, I am therefore, very much more susceptible to infections – other than living in a hermetically sealed room, there is nothing I can do to avoid it, except get the flu jab and keep away from crowds of people during the winter, which I do.
        I see a specialist every 3 months and he’s been trying for the last 18 months to coax me into the idea of getting a transplant – which I do qualify for being under 60 years of age. I’m not so keen on the prospect of being cut open and zipped up again with scars the size of a sleeping bag, plus all the drugs I’d need to take from then on to prevent rejection of the new lungs. There’s no easy solution except a lot of grief one way or another. But hey, that’s what cremations and coffins are for!

  5. Andrew, do not think like that, you are still young you are far too intelligent to think like that, me yes but not you, I was born ten years before you should I say that? I am so sorry it has to be absolutely horrendous and painful for you. I hope you are not still smoking surely you can’t. I am so shocked by what you have said I wish in some way I could help. My Father had lung problems smoking of course from a very early age, I had an Uncle who had Emphysema, and I know how Uncle Jack was. I did not recognise COPD, Doctors and their fancy names. Yes, you must keep your distance in the Winter from people, I do I have to have the flu injection as well. Andrew, you did not say if you have had the Pneumonia injection, I had it last year it lasts for five years – that is something if you have not had you should think about.

    I am so sorry for all you go through, surely there are more things the medics can do for you. You should be on the highest dose of the medication you are taking. Please keep in touch Andrew and let me know how you are feeling. Take care of yourself and stay safe.

    1. I agree. A lung transplant is pretty drastic.
      Though, as a biologist, I could do it no problem. I’m not very good at sewing though. If you’ve a friend who is a tailor we’d make a good team.
      But on a serious note COPD is a bugger. Roll on Summer – or do you get hay fever?

      2. Opher, before I was struck down with this some 2 years ago, I can’t have had more than 4 weeks off sick from work in total from the age of 19. And I would reckon that about a quarter of that was “phoned in” b/s, as I was extending my weekend with a rather too attractive young lady who was in no rush to go home. I was never a heavy smoker – at max a packet of 20 a day, most of which would burn off sitting in an ashtray.
        I blame the copious quantities of unfiltered joints. Particularly Pakistani Black Red Seal, which I couldn’t get enough of. The stuff that was such good quality you could hand roll in into 6″ length nails for loading. I used to get so wrecked on it. I wouldn’t like to know just how many thousands of pounds I had spent on that stuff over the years.

      3. The trouble is that there really is not much that can be done for COPD. Once the damage is done it is permanent. It is a question of managing it.
        I think you’re right Andrew. Those joints won’t have helped at all. There is all sorts of gunk ends up in that hash.
        I think there are probably some drugs that will help but I doubt there’s much the medics can offer. You probably know how to cope and steering clear of infection is priority number one.
        I sympathise and don’t mean to make light of it. But a lung transplant is a major move.

      5. So the summer is a lot better for you!
        Stay warm, eat well, get plenty of vitamin D, keep away from bugs, drink lots of fluids and get yourself well. The days are drawing out. What a bummer to have been ill over Christmas.
        I wish you well.

  6. Andrew I know you will probably find it difficult to eat but Opher is right you must take plenty of fluids and take all your medication. I wish you a quiet night and rest easy.

    1. i know – I find it incredibly frustrating. It seems everyone dreams about becoming rich and famous. If it happens they don’t know what to do with it.
      It’s all empty.

      1. And what an under achiever a person seems if they don’t aspire to that very thing — to be at least independently well off. It’s like when all the yuppies made the switch from knowing they were going to be blue collars to wanting to be white collars over here. Or moms wanted to work instead of staying at home. You know, the web could go down, the satellites could drop out of the sky, but people are always going to have to care for children and have toilets!!! 😮

      2. Cheryl I quite agree. Happiness and fulfilment comes much more from caring relationships, creativity and love than it ever does from owning things!
        We’ve got our values all mixed up!

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