MTV and Democracy
By Julia Rybicki
In 1981, the launching of Music Television (MTV) created a new American and democratic institution. Its reality shows, music videos, political and humanitarian movements, and entertainment news, have both enabled MTV to be the arbiter of pop culture and allowed its celebrities to be active members in democratic man's existence. By creating a dichotomy between the fan and superstar, MTV highlights both the extravagance and commonality of celebrities. MTV presents an apparent aristocracy of celebrity that is ultimately palatable to democratic man through the equalizing factor of democratic ambition.
MTV markets a unique type of celebrity. Television is more interactive than newspapers and radio; the viewer can both see and hear the subject; thus, the subject can better connect with a viewer. MTV enables the viewer to become intimately familiar with (and invasive to) a celebrity's life. MTV also appeals to young popular culture consumers. Shows track the personal and professional lives of celebrities; through MTV the viewer goes into offices, studios, and even homes of athletes, musicians, actors, and anyone enjoying fifteen minutes of fame. MTV highlights the inequality between common viewers and millionaire celebrities, thereby presenting an aristocracy of celebrity. Because they appear to be better than democratic man, celebrities are ostensibly outside of the majority. Within the many types of celebrities, the democratic mind seems to recognize three broad categories of celebrity: the "star" (musicians, athletes, actors), the "entrepreneur" (designers, producers, directors), and the "heiress" (Paris Hilton). These MTV celebrities enjoy admiration with a democratic twist.
Democratic man functions within the majority. Tocqueville describes the omnipotence of the majority as a tremendous force, a faceless entity of equal individuals. This entity creates an allowable range of opinions, desires, and activities in society. The tyranny of the majority ensures that its opponents are punished and again confined within the boundaries of democratic thought. Because he assumes all men to be equal to himself, he can ignore them. Consequently, when
democratic man notices a celebrity, he wants to know the similarities, differences, and the degree to which the differences threaten his notion of equality. MTV is the medium through which both democratic man and celebrity can function in the majority; it showcases the differences and the similarities between the viewer and the celebrity.
MTV creates only an apparent aristocracy; MTV glorifies celebrities by documenting every movement but degrades them by highlighting their democratic ambition. Tocqueville describes democratic ambition as seeking to acquire material goods, reputation, and power. MTV feeds the democratic man's ambition for material goods, including money, cars, clothes, and luxury, by presenting the celebrity as one who has attained those desires. Thus, celebrities and democratic men unite through material goods—the celebrity exemplifies the democratic man.
Some would argue that talent separates the two and enables celebrities to attain material goods. MTV's aristocracy, then, is actual rather than apparent. Yet, this critique ignores democratic man's notion of equality. The democratic man admires and interacts with the different categories of celebrity in terms of equality. In the democratic man's mind, he is like everyone one else, is capable of anything, and has an equal opportunity to everything. Talent is merely a means to the end of democratic ambition—the universal desire for petty things. By setting celebrities apart, MTV reduces individuals to a lifestyle. While talent might enable the celebrity to attain wealth and fame, MTV presents it not as an intrinsic good but as an instrument to attain a lifestyle. Democratic man believes that he must simply cultivate the right means to achieve his ambition.
When watching MTV, democratic man sees one like himself in the soul of the "star" and the "entrepreneur." They are easy for the democratic man to admire, since they were once average people who simply found an opportunity to market a skill. MTV makes stars accessible; they have better lives than the average citizen, but they were once average citizens. MTV presents their talents in terms of sales, popularity, and money; talent is a means to gain more "things." Jennifer Lopez, a "star," sings, dances, and acts, but more importantly she wears pink diamonds and Versace. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, an "entrepreneur," runs record and clothing labels, is an ardent political activist, and throws multi-million dollar parties in the Hamptons. The "star" and "entrepreneur" exemplify that cultivating the right means enables the average man to meet his democratic ambition; J-Lo and Diddy were once common east coasters with an ability to perform and an aspiration for wealth and fame.
The "heiress" has achieved the object of democratic ambition to the point that she becomes disconnected from democratic man. Democratic man admires the "heiress's" vulgarity, but her lifestyle is so removed from democratic reality that it is above yet, beneath him. Paris is a celebrity so distant from democratic society that anything common (e.g., The Simple Life) becomes a vulgar luxury. She dresses her Chihuahua in Louis Vuitton and makes amateur porn. Democratic man despises her tastelessness, but her lifestyle fascinates him. He dismisses her as unreal. Her democratic ambition is uncontrollable; she is so grandiose that
democratic man can treat her as a superstar but reject her as easily as he does the next-door neighbor.
MTV reveals the celebrity to be another democratic man with democratic ambition. Ambition is the same; the means to attain that end differ. Celebrities ultimately represent a lifestyle of petty things. They want material goods like everyone else. MTV enables democratic man to connect with the "star" and "entrepreneur," because it reveals the celebrity to be a successful, ordinary individual. The "heiress's" democratic ambition is too vulgar; so democratic man dismisses her like he does his equals. Democratic man and celebrity safely exist in the majority. MTV ultimately nurtures the majority's ambition by simultaneously presenting the celebrity as a glorified being with more money, better cars, and prefect clothes and as another person with the same democratic ambition. MTV, thus, gives the democratic man what he wants—the assurance that everyone really is alike.
In 1981, the launching of Music Television (MTV) created a new American and democratic institution. Its reality shows, music videos, political and humanitarian movements, and entertainment news, have both enabled MTV to be the arbiter of pop culture and allowed its celebrities to be active members in democratic man's existence. By creating a dichotomy between the fan and superstar, MTV highlights both the extravagance and commonality of celebrities. MTV presents an apparent aristocracy of celebrity that is ultimately palatable to democratic man through the equalizing factor of democratic ambition.
MTV markets a unique type of celebrity. Television is more interactive than newspapers and radio; the viewer can both see and hear the subject; thus, the subject can better connect with a viewer. MTV enables the viewer to become intimately familiar with (and invasive to) a celebrity's life. MTV also appeals to young popular culture consumers. Shows track the personal and professional lives of celebrities; through MTV the viewer goes into offices, studios, and even homes of athletes, musicians, actors, and anyone enjoying fifteen minutes of fame. MTV highlights the inequality between common viewers and millionaire celebrities, thereby presenting an aristocracy of celebrity. Because they appear to be better than democratic man, celebrities are ostensibly outside of the majority. Within the many types of celebrities, the democratic mind seems to recognize three broad categories of celebrity: the "star" (musicians, athletes, actors), the "entrepreneur" (designers, producers, directors), and the "heiress" (Paris Hilton). These MTV celebrities enjoy admiration with a democratic twist.
Democratic man functions within the majority. Tocqueville describes the omnipotence of the majority as a tremendous force, a faceless entity of equal individuals. This entity creates an allowable range of opinions, desires, and activities in society. The tyranny of the majority ensures that its opponents are punished and again confined within the boundaries of democratic thought. Because he assumes all men to be equal to himself, he can ignore them. Consequently, when
democratic man notices a celebrity, he wants to know the similarities, differences, and the degree to which the differences threaten his notion of equality. MTV is the medium through which both democratic man and celebrity can function in the majority; it showcases the differences and the similarities between the viewer and the celebrity.
MTV creates only an apparent aristocracy; MTV glorifies celebrities by documenting every movement but degrades them by highlighting their democratic ambition. Tocqueville describes democratic ambition as seeking to acquire material goods, reputation, and power. MTV feeds the democratic man's ambition for material goods, including money, cars, clothes, and luxury, by presenting the celebrity as one who has attained those desires. Thus, celebrities and democratic men unite through material goods—the celebrity exemplifies the democratic man.
Some would argue that talent separates the two and enables celebrities to attain material goods. MTV's aristocracy, then, is actual rather than apparent. Yet, this critique ignores democratic man's notion of equality. The democratic man admires and interacts with the different categories of celebrity in terms of equality. In the democratic man's mind, he is like everyone one else, is capable of anything, and has an equal opportunity to everything. Talent is merely a means to the end of democratic ambition—the universal desire for petty things. By setting celebrities apart, MTV reduces individuals to a lifestyle. While talent might enable the celebrity to attain wealth and fame, MTV presents it not as an intrinsic good but as an instrument to attain a lifestyle. Democratic man believes that he must simply cultivate the right means to achieve his ambition.
When watching MTV, democratic man sees one like himself in the soul of the "star" and the "entrepreneur." They are easy for the democratic man to admire, since they were once average people who simply found an opportunity to market a skill. MTV makes stars accessible; they have better lives than the average citizen, but they were once average citizens. MTV presents their talents in terms of sales, popularity, and money; talent is a means to gain more "things." Jennifer Lopez, a "star," sings, dances, and acts, but more importantly she wears pink diamonds and Versace. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, an "entrepreneur," runs record and clothing labels, is an ardent political activist, and throws multi-million dollar parties in the Hamptons. The "star" and "entrepreneur" exemplify that cultivating the right means enables the average man to meet his democratic ambition; J-Lo and Diddy were once common east coasters with an ability to perform and an aspiration for wealth and fame.
The "heiress" has achieved the object of democratic ambition to the point that she becomes disconnected from democratic man. Democratic man admires the "heiress's" vulgarity, but her lifestyle is so removed from democratic reality that it is above yet, beneath him. Paris is a celebrity so distant from democratic society that anything common (e.g., The Simple Life) becomes a vulgar luxury. She dresses her Chihuahua in Louis Vuitton and makes amateur porn. Democratic man despises her tastelessness, but her lifestyle fascinates him. He dismisses her as unreal. Her democratic ambition is uncontrollable; she is so grandiose that
democratic man can treat her as a superstar but reject her as easily as he does the next-door neighbor.
MTV reveals the celebrity to be another democratic man with democratic ambition. Ambition is the same; the means to attain that end differ. Celebrities ultimately represent a lifestyle of petty things. They want material goods like everyone else. MTV enables democratic man to connect with the "star" and "entrepreneur," because it reveals the celebrity to be a successful, ordinary individual. The "heiress's" democratic ambition is too vulgar; so democratic man dismisses her like he does his equals. Democratic man and celebrity safely exist in the majority. MTV ultimately nurtures the majority's ambition by simultaneously presenting the celebrity as a glorified being with more money, better cars, and prefect clothes and as another person with the same democratic ambition. MTV, thus, gives the democratic man what he wants—the assurance that everyone really is alike.
posted by Tim Hoskins at 7:00 PM
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