For some time, we have been obsessed with creating celebrities from the most mediocre people. Just take the Kardashians, for example. We decided to raise them to the status of godhood despite not one of them contributing a thing to the betterment of humanity. And now, we are taking it further by giving people who would have originally been only a 15-minute viral sensation the space and platforming to become worth millions.
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Maybe I sound old and crotchety when I say I want the people filling my media spaces to be at least slightly intellectual. But, for the past few years (decades?), We seem to have become compelled to worship the mediocre.
People like the Paul brothers or those insufferable Costco Guys have become hot topics. They're elevated to positions far beyond their abilities, either culturally or intellectually. It baffles me why we have chosen them as the talking points and cultural epicenters of our various feeds.
Hailey Welch, or the Hawk Tuah girl as she's known, is now worth around half a million dollars. This comes after saying two words into a microphone about her sexual techniques. For some reason, we ran with that, gave her more screen time, a talk show, and now even a casting on Glen Powell's upcoming show.
Why Do We Love Talentless Celebrities
I've wracked my brain for hours as to why we create obsessions with people who have no discernable talent or intellect. But it's not something that keeps me up at night. I am aware that I don't have to engage if I choose not to. However, when I see that 741,000 hours of the Talk Tuah podcast were consumed, I have to wonder why.
I think it comes down to the mediocrity of it all actually being the selling point. Everyone in the world is screaming about their political division. There are reports of impending world war, crippling poverty, and gun crime at every corner. Sometimes, a little brain rot is what we need. The Costco Guy, Hawk Tuah girl, and their kind are asinine nirvana.
When the whole world seems to be falling apart around our ears, sometimes it feels good to listen to someone who couldn't even name a country in Europe chat banal pigswill.
Not everything has to be intellectual. Our obsession with making superstars out of incredibly average people is odd. They're harmless, and it's sometimes fun to watch someone completely unprepared for viral fame thrown, wide-eyed, into the spotlight. They get a lot of hate, but it's mostly jealousy, I think.
It's important to remember that while it's okay to listen to the Talk Tuah podcast sometimes, it's also important to read a book from time to time. When these mediocre celebrities are enjoyed in small doses, they're not too damaging. Just as with anything trashy, be it fast food or cigarettes, sometimes you need to detox. Your brain can rot with too much junk.
