“Popularity is the slutty little cousin of prestige.”
Birdman Movie by Keaton
When I first saw this movie, that I love by the way, hearing this specific quote was like a blow in the stomach… So true and deep it is.
We all have been there at some point in our lives. Where we either deeply wished to be popular or we relished in our own moment in time where we might have achieved some level of popularity. A moment that made us feel we were rising higher… Unfortunately we may even have thought that popularity was also rising us as to be better which is not always the case.
Because this is a huge fallacy embraced and encouraged by our society…
“Popular people are popular because they are good at what they do or at who they are.”
Major fallacy from a long list of 21st Century Fallacies
In a world where popularity rules in showbiz and in politics the results are here in plain sight for everyone to see… Popularity is not a guarantee of expertise nor it is directly related to quality of caracter.
So one wonders how today’s society came to be like this?
How popular presidents get elected although they clearly are the less equipped people to rule a country and are just empty shells… moved only by greed and by the pursue to be up high in those popularity ranks.
How popular business people, entertainers, athletes and artists are nothing but money making machines that care less and less about the impact and value of the role model status they so eagerly chase after and still are called upon to “represent” brands and to lead generations.
And even how parents and educators forget about their higher and biggest responsibilities, just so they can take advantage (may it be financial, emotional or boosting their self-confidence) from making their kids popular at any cost. At any and such cost (as we saw in The Youtube Team Strada and in any parents imposed competitions), and that one would expect it appalls everyone… But why doesn’t it?
Why does at least two generations (X and Millennials), of the so called evolved world and societies, are still “popularizing” these dumb empty greedy shells to a rank of status they clearly do not deserve?
How can we make people be more focused on valuing PRESTIGE over POPULARITY? And this is my challenge and open question for you all and for myself…
OPEN DEBATE:
How can one rise the value of Prestige over Popularity?
Hopefully you’ll help me at least see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel by sharing your thoughts and comments.
Luckily and for everyone’s hope, there are still people who carry and shine by the value of who they are. Regardless of being popular or not. They just carry the PRESTIGE of being who they are.
And as good as they are. Even being unpopular.
I do hope the next generation Z will bring more of that out into the light…
May it be in showbizz or in life, into this world of ours.
