An argument could be made
that these predatory sites and
the equally parasitic paparazzi (a
word that cannot be spoken with-
out the bile rising in one’s throat)
are actually creating the demand
they claim to be “feeding.” Indeed,
would any of us truly wonder
about an actor’s relationship or a
model’s choice of holiday desti-
nation if the press had not already
planted the question? A self-ful-
filling prophecy methinks. Sus-
tainable industry taken to horrific
extremes.
There’s also the issue of authen-
ticity. How well do we really know
celebrities? Is what we’re seeing
real, or simply another face, an-
other persona being put on for
the camera? I’ve argued for many
years that “reality television” is as
far from reality as its possible to
be. No person behaves normally
when they know there’s a camera
watching their every move. Hu-
mans are naturally self-conscious
beings - it’s a function of being an
intelligent, reasoning creature. Ce-
lebrities are “on camera” nearly 24
hours a day in some form or an-
other. They also have reputations
to manage, which makes keeping
up appearances all the more im-
portant when your job depends
on your behaviour.
I could make the old joke here
about actors being profession-
al liars, so there’s no way to truly
tell when the acting stops, but that
logic doesn’t really hold up. The
point I’m making here is that while
yes, a particular celebrity might
act like an arrogant, petulant child,
it’s the media that magnifies this
behaviour, and makes it seem far
more important than it actually is.
Celebrities are, in reality, just peo-
ple - flawed, brilliant and foolish
people - with extremely high pro-
file jobs. We all have bad days,
make poor decisions, and from
time to time, behave in a less than
dignified manner. The difference
is, we aren’t being filmed, written
about and judged at every instant.
If your life was under constant
(and often withering) scrutiny in
the press, could you behave nor-
mally?
Mackenzie Clench is an author, digital essayist, creative instigator, podcaster,
agent provocateur and silhouette model for Men-at-Work signs. He's also the
CEO, Scribbler and Fuss Maker in Chief of Mackenzie Clench Creative, helping
entrepreneur-shaped humans refine their messaging to draw a through-line
from the heart of their business to the heart of the clients.
Mackenzie Clench
27
Mackenzie regularly kicks over the apple cart of "that's-the-way-it's-always-
been-done" and gives the advertising intelligentsia aneurysms on a nearly daily
basis. He believes that 1 + 1 = 3, women are the future and that the coolest dino-
saur is the thesaurus. He's currently on a mission to show that every single hu-
man-shaped human on this big blue marble is a walking, talking, latte-sipping
engine of creation. He does not often write bios in the third-person but will do
so if asked nicely. Cookies help as well.
mackenzieclench.com