Nobody should be surprised at the utterance of something downright crass by a media figure in this day and age.
Because when attention is the currency, the lowest common denominator decides what’s “rich”. And the lowest common denominator doesn’t respond to something “measured”, “refined”, or “classy”. It doesn’t care about something being of “high art value”, or “intelligence”. The lowest common denominator responds to the most vile, extreme, outrageous, and crass stuff that can be out there. Something that shocks them out them out of their wits and “entertains” them. It could even be pornography. Which it often is.
Now if I’m trying to be “famous”, I could either take the hard route of creating something “meaningful” and “artistic”. That route, while honourable and virtuous, is probably not going to not fetch me anything. In fact, there are extremely high chances that after years of struggle, I only find myself stranded in a desert with money not enough to buy two rotis with pyaaz.
On the other hand, what I could do is start by putting out the filthiest work I can possibly make. But something that makes me “news”. It doesn’t matter if it’s some random blabber about sex, potty, or sex in potty. As long as it gets me “views”, it’s cool.
Soon enough, I’ll be pretty well known. I’ll have visibility. Some people will despise me, sure. But the entertainment market works pretty much like a democracy. Everyone has one vote. And I’ll have a lot of votes. I’ll be a media personality. People will literally pay to be around me so they could feast on the breadcrumbs of my “success”. I’ll be a star.
Yes, I’ll not be an “artist”. I’ll not have any semantic integrity or virtues to talk about. And the stuff I’ve created will not be meaningful in any sense. But who really cares about that? Semantic integrity? Virtue? What the funk do those things even mean? I’ll be huge for a while. And earn “respectability” later.
“I’ll be huge for a while and earn respectability later.”
This is the guiding philosophy which persists in the entertainment circuit. And it’s been the case for a very long time.
There’s a movie called “People Vs. Larry Flynt”. An absolutely brilliant masterpiece. It’s about Larry Flynt, the founder of Hustler magazine.
Now Flynt spent his entire youth peddling absolute filth. He was literally a pornographer. But after creating that business and taking it to over $150 M in sales, he suddenly realised that his life “should mean something”. And then, in the quest of earning “respectability”, he dedicated his life to being a free speech activist.
Did he earn respectability? No. But his life did make a great movie.
This story is as old as time. So I’m never surprised whenever someone builds a fortune on filth in the attention economy.
But what I hope for is this: Social media gave people a “voice”. They could be ambassadors of whatever they like. It’d be great to see them using that power to promote that unknown artist which spoke to them. Instead of adding to the noise.
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