Idol
I have been having fun with phrases with lyrics potential, and I found them hugely powerful. Here is one I recently wrote in response to a phenomenon.
I found myself stuck in a time
When some stand tall, and others bow
Are they real?
Are they made up?
So much adored, they lost their hearts.
If I have to follow the road
Of those with mind so short
I would rather be lost
I would rather be lost
Its actually part of a full song lyric, and this is the part that didn’t get in the song. I need to document it because the song’s issue has been changed but I still want to delve deeper into this issue. Idol phenomenon, that has been with us since the dawn of time.
Staying under the spotlight has its perks, it also has drawbacks. Sometimes you will get tired, sometimes you can feel overwhelmed. Of course, this is just a concept for me, since I have never felt actual spotlight. It still ridiculous to see though, people who does get the spotlight tend to put themselves above others. This Idol phenomenon I believe, is not because of the Idols themselves, its because the businessmen and the fans who feed them with so much ego to the point they bloated themselves with pride.
The Cycle of Swag
I can see the need of these businessmen to feed their idols with pride, because it will give them their “swag”. For those don’t know what it is, its an informal way to define confidence. With swag, a person can standout from others, in which he or she will get more attention. Of course it works differently with different individual, especially with women idols as they can get attention through other acts (shyness can be attractive too). But in general, confidence is a highly attractive tool. And once these Idols get their swag, the cycle will be initiated. Swag will bring more fans, abundance of fans will feed their pride (Nowadays, social media helps the process), and they will emanate even more swag. It is a perfectly normal cycle, its what happen after the cycle that matters. Some put barriers, while others will stay as they are. Now this is where I will express an opinion. I do not entirely understand the feelings of those who put barriers, distant themselves from their fans, but I always feel like they are not living with the consequences of the job. Don’t they realize that they are who they are because of these massive, dopamine-drunk horde of people who proudly scream their names? If they “hate being famous” then change your occupation. If you’re in film, start becoming a writer or director instead of actor, If you’re in music, take a step back and write songs for others. At this point, I know I’m being a stupid idealist. I mean, their way works, right? Hiding themselves in cars, going with private jets, having bodyguards surrounding them, it works! So yeah… for those pragmatics out there, sorry for being bitter.
We are all animals
The swag cycle has been really useful for the business men. As for the fans, Idols are actually similar with those people who ascended into “gods” because of the power given by others (*cough*… Politicians… *cough*). Its quite ridiculous to hear, but its actually primal since our need to give superiority is based on our animal roots. Capuchins, gorillas and many other apes also has dominance hierarchy; a way to create ranks among their own. It is actually needed for survival so leadership can still be imposed, and order can be maintained. For those of you who loves your idols so much, don’t be wary. Its your animal side talking, and none of us can escape it. Again, I am not saying you guys are capuchins, you simply act similar to them.
Yes, yes… you can always say that I am being bitter because I’m not them. I don’t idolize anyone (that much) and I am definitely not an idol. What I meant to say is that maybe fans will also need to be critical for their idols, so that we can always have room for more authenticity. Sometimes we are so infatuated, whatever words coming out of our idol will feel right. Its not. They are humans too no matter how beautiful they look (or how much plastic surgery they got). They have their flaws, they can make bad decisions, and we need to support them through it, being critical about them, so they can also continually grow.
Really, fellas. We owe it to them since we have robbed them their freedom.
