- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
- 250
- 85
We all know Tom Brady (titan QB of the 5 time Super Bowl winning New England Patriots) is undoubtedly one of the greatest NFL players of all time and a future Hall of Famer. Coming out of the shadow of once Patriots starting phenom-QB Drew Bledsoe, Brady led his team to a whopping 5 championships all in the new millennium(!).
So Tom Brady is certainly what people call a 'celebrity.' He's adored by fans, praised by social leaders/icons, and even celebrated by religious figures as a 'diplomat of human civilization.'
We understand that the modern world of traffic and networking and commerce and communications makes fashion and presentation high priorities. Celebrities become 'media dolls' in this arena (e.g., Tom Brady, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks). Everyone loves celebrities and even sometimes want to 'pardon' their lifestyle eccentricities and oddities (such as, say, an offbeat fascination with Scientology!).
When male celebrities are photographed with beautiful women, we think of glamour and vitality and magazine-culture fun. Celebrities often become 'sex symbols.' This is the real "Ethics Paradox." How do we manage media and entertainment and consumerism culture/lifestyle in this modern age with proper doses of maturity, ethics, hygiene, and parental supervision and advisories while yearning to revel in the fun and thrill of exciting celebrities indulging in jovial, exquisite, or even 'whirlwind' lifestyles? After all, isn't consumerism-festivity part of 'American patriotism' (e.g., Vanity Fair, GQ, People Magazine)?
So imagine that Tom Brady professes suddenly to the press that he's converted to Mormonism and now wants to embrace the Mormon-practice of legal polygamy by taking multiple (2) wives. Suddenly, the press says things like, "Brady the star-QB is now a Mormon with 2 wives!" Do fans and audiences react by saying, "Brady is a Mormon role model...or a polygamous sex symbol?"
So that's really the Ethics Paradox associated with celebrity-consciousness, and it affects seriously Americans' view of marketing, media, consumerism, and capitalism itself. How we present ourselves (we Americans) to the world as 'diplomats of commerce/consumerism' affects how anti-capitalist terrorists and/or global culture critics/analysts/anthropologists evaluate America's sense of 'culture control.'
Nazi Germany was mad. Mussolini's Italy was fascist. Stalin's Russia was cold. Will Clinton and Trump's modern America be considered 'ornamental' or 'indulgent'?
====
BRADY: Thanks for this honoring interview; wow, the great Ralph Nader!
NADER: Well, more and more politics-minded Americans invest in media now, Tom!
BRADY: That's cool; so what did you want to talk to me about for your editorial?
NADER: Well, you're a super-celebrity athlete in the Super Bowl spotlight.
BRADY: Yes; it's an amazing feeling...
NADER: Now, you're also a Mormon convert who's taken 2 wives for polygamy-prayer.
BRADY: Right; there was some tender/delicate legal work, but Mormons have rights!
NADER: Sure; polygamy is not considered a 'standard' practice in modern time...
BRADY: No, but to the Mormon people, it's an expression of the value/joy of trust.
NADER: So your fans are saying, "Brady is now a diplomat of the Mormon people!"
BRADY: Sure they are; Patriots fans are among the most loyal in the world.
NADER: They love that New England Clam Chowder and Bill Belichick...
BRADY: Yes; they raved as they watched us bring home 5 Lombardi trophies.
NADER: You're finally out of Drew Bledsoe's shadow, eh?
BRADY: Many said Drew was going to be the new Marino, but he never managed to win.
NADER: You had that winning equation with Coach Belichick.
BRADY: It made me a celebrity...
NADER: So in terms of the impact of 'celebrity' on democracy, what's the value of Mormonism?
BRADY: If Americans like what I'm saying about Mormonism, I feel media is offering insights.
NADER: Will people say, "Brady is a polygamy-advocate" or "Brady is a sex symbol"?
BRADY: As long as they don't say "Brady is a womanizer" I'll know my faith is respected!
NADER: Do you think consumerism is part of normative culture in 21st Century America.
BRADY: Yes, I do, and I think it contributes to Americans' sense of place and comfort.
NADER: People Magazine will probably feature an article with photos of your 2 wives.
BRADY: That would be awesome as long as it's respectful to my Mormon beliefs, Mr. Nader.
NADER: Let's conclude then, Tom, that American media has made you an 'ethics diplomat.'
BRADY: Yes; thanks for this cool interview.
====
So Tom Brady is certainly what people call a 'celebrity.' He's adored by fans, praised by social leaders/icons, and even celebrated by religious figures as a 'diplomat of human civilization.'
We understand that the modern world of traffic and networking and commerce and communications makes fashion and presentation high priorities. Celebrities become 'media dolls' in this arena (e.g., Tom Brady, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks). Everyone loves celebrities and even sometimes want to 'pardon' their lifestyle eccentricities and oddities (such as, say, an offbeat fascination with Scientology!).
When male celebrities are photographed with beautiful women, we think of glamour and vitality and magazine-culture fun. Celebrities often become 'sex symbols.' This is the real "Ethics Paradox." How do we manage media and entertainment and consumerism culture/lifestyle in this modern age with proper doses of maturity, ethics, hygiene, and parental supervision and advisories while yearning to revel in the fun and thrill of exciting celebrities indulging in jovial, exquisite, or even 'whirlwind' lifestyles? After all, isn't consumerism-festivity part of 'American patriotism' (e.g., Vanity Fair, GQ, People Magazine)?
So imagine that Tom Brady professes suddenly to the press that he's converted to Mormonism and now wants to embrace the Mormon-practice of legal polygamy by taking multiple (2) wives. Suddenly, the press says things like, "Brady the star-QB is now a Mormon with 2 wives!" Do fans and audiences react by saying, "Brady is a Mormon role model...or a polygamous sex symbol?"
So that's really the Ethics Paradox associated with celebrity-consciousness, and it affects seriously Americans' view of marketing, media, consumerism, and capitalism itself. How we present ourselves (we Americans) to the world as 'diplomats of commerce/consumerism' affects how anti-capitalist terrorists and/or global culture critics/analysts/anthropologists evaluate America's sense of 'culture control.'
Nazi Germany was mad. Mussolini's Italy was fascist. Stalin's Russia was cold. Will Clinton and Trump's modern America be considered 'ornamental' or 'indulgent'?
====
BRADY: Thanks for this honoring interview; wow, the great Ralph Nader!
NADER: Well, more and more politics-minded Americans invest in media now, Tom!
BRADY: That's cool; so what did you want to talk to me about for your editorial?
NADER: Well, you're a super-celebrity athlete in the Super Bowl spotlight.
BRADY: Yes; it's an amazing feeling...
NADER: Now, you're also a Mormon convert who's taken 2 wives for polygamy-prayer.
BRADY: Right; there was some tender/delicate legal work, but Mormons have rights!
NADER: Sure; polygamy is not considered a 'standard' practice in modern time...
BRADY: No, but to the Mormon people, it's an expression of the value/joy of trust.
NADER: So your fans are saying, "Brady is now a diplomat of the Mormon people!"
BRADY: Sure they are; Patriots fans are among the most loyal in the world.
NADER: They love that New England Clam Chowder and Bill Belichick...
BRADY: Yes; they raved as they watched us bring home 5 Lombardi trophies.
NADER: You're finally out of Drew Bledsoe's shadow, eh?
BRADY: Many said Drew was going to be the new Marino, but he never managed to win.
NADER: You had that winning equation with Coach Belichick.
BRADY: It made me a celebrity...
NADER: So in terms of the impact of 'celebrity' on democracy, what's the value of Mormonism?
BRADY: If Americans like what I'm saying about Mormonism, I feel media is offering insights.
NADER: Will people say, "Brady is a polygamy-advocate" or "Brady is a sex symbol"?
BRADY: As long as they don't say "Brady is a womanizer" I'll know my faith is respected!
NADER: Do you think consumerism is part of normative culture in 21st Century America.
BRADY: Yes, I do, and I think it contributes to Americans' sense of place and comfort.
NADER: People Magazine will probably feature an article with photos of your 2 wives.
BRADY: That would be awesome as long as it's respectful to my Mormon beliefs, Mr. Nader.
NADER: Let's conclude then, Tom, that American media has made you an 'ethics diplomat.'
BRADY: Yes; thanks for this cool interview.
====
