• November 20, 2021

Star Power: the difference between entertainment and knowledge

This week I hired a publicist. This may not seem so unusual to do, but to me it was profound. The truth is that my book, “Testimony”, is not working as well as it should. I have been told that I need more “Star Power”. Sure, I have a loyal following of people, like you, who read my articles, subscribe to my newsletter, or follow me on Facebook. However, today that is not enough. These days, you have to have star power or celebrity status in order for your voice to really be heard. Our culture tells us that no matter what you say, what Really what matters is who you are when you say it.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not bitter about this, I really am not (really). However, honestly, it scares me. We will form our opinions and follow the advice of anyone as long as they are a celebrity. Reality stars become social science experts, movie stars become equivalent to doctors in environmental science, and cable news anchors and entertainers tell us what our political and economic beliefs should be. . Meanwhile, there is a real voice of reason, expertise, and experience sitting on the sidelines and saying, “If only I was famous enough, my ideas could change the world.” Instead, we learn our story from Pawn stars, our science of Myth Busters, business management of The newbieand world news and politics The daily show.

There are many people smarter and even more educated than me, but I believe my message. I know that my writing comes from a sincere heart and a love for truth and honesty. For this reason, I am willing to do whatever it takes to help my message be heard. I don’t claim to have all the answers; however, I also do not intend to write or speak about anything that I do not understand. I am the first to admit when I don’t know something and I am always eager to learn. But this isn’t really about me (I know that’s not the best thing to say for someone trying to gain a little more star power). It’s about realizing that I was beaten this week, realizing that the truth is being ignored or replaced by … I don’t know what. I’m scared by the fact that sincerity and honesty are overtaken by celebrity egos who can’t admit where their experience ends or begins. It scares me that comments about star power outweigh actual knowledge and understanding. Above all, I am afraid of a future in which a world seeks entertainment in search of facts while questioning or ignoring real perception.

People used to buy books based on their content, and even well-known authors could enjoy a life of anonymity, focused solely on providing meaningful and well-thought-out content that could empower and excite their readers. This allowed the authors the freedom to continually learn and grow, and in turn, their books helped others to do the same. Today, the authors do not have this freedom. They spend their time gaining star power instead of knowledge. More books are being sold than ever. Information is everywhere, but what about the content of books? People choose familiar faces over experience, passion, and even truth.

In case you didn’t get it, the point is that we need to re-evaluate how we determine quality, truth, and information. The media has transformed the way people learn, grow and experience life. This is an amazing thing, but we must learn to recognize the difference between entertainment and knowledge. This is not to say that gaining new knowledge cannot be entertaining, but there is a big difference between knowledge presented in an entertaining way and entertainment presented as knowledge. We must learn to recognize the difference and challenge ourselves to look deeper than the celebrity status or star power of those charged with shaping our minds, thoughts, and opinions.

You might be surprised to find that unknown authors, bloggers, and instructors are the ones who can bring real value to the table. After all, they didn’t pretend to be a celebrity; they simply have a story, knowledge, or information to share. Work does not have a secondary agenda; They don’t write just to be heard, they write because they also have something worth listening to.

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