Being Somebody (Part One)

One hundred years ago, people became famous for what they had achieved. Men like J. P. Morgan, E. H. Harriman and Jay Gould were all notable achievers. So were Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, and Susan B. Anthony.

Their accomplishments are still evident in our own day. Today's celebrities, however, often do not become known for any enduring achievement. The people we most admire today are usually those who are highly publicized by media.

In 1981, a Gallup poll revealed that Nancy Reagan was the nation's "most admired woman." The year before, that distinction went to President Carter's wife, Rosalynn. In fact, the wife of the current president is always one of the nation's most admired women. Today's celebrities, as the writer Daniel Boorstin says, are "people well-known for their well-knownness."

To become such a celebrity, one needs luck, not accomplishment. As Boorstin says, "The hero was distinguished by his accomplishment; the celebrity by his image or trademark. The hero created himself; the celebrity is created by the media. The hero was a big man; the celebrity is a big name."

There is another distinction: heroes inspire respect; celebrities inspire envy. Few of us believe we could be another Jonas Salk or Eleanor Roosevelt, but we could be another TV star like Telly Savalas or Suzanne Somers. Except for the attention they get from the media, these people are exactly like us.

The shift from hero-worship to celebrity-worship occurred around the turn of the century. It was closely tied to the rise of new forms of media --- first photography, and later moving pictures, radio and television. For the first time, Americans could see and recognize their heroes.

Previously, men like Gould and Harriman, whose name everyone knew, could easily have passed through a crowd without being recognized. The reproduction of photos in newspapers turned famous people into celebrities whose dress, appearance, and personal habits were widely commented upon. Slowly, the focus of public attention began to shift from knowing what such people did to knowing what they looked like.