The Stalking of Celebrities
Stalking remains Hollywood's recurrent celebrity nightmare.1 Never before have we been able to know as much about a star as we do about a close pal. Thanks to publications and TV shows that cater to the public appetite for celebrity news, there's little privacy for stars. We learn the minor details of their lives--from an early schooling, to first kiss, last divorce, drug problems, hopes and fears.2 Celebrities on their own property are not safe from high-powered lenses, I will discuss what celebrity stalking is, why we should have harsher laws against stalking, and what the difference is between photojournalism and the paparazzi. I will prove that stalking celebrities just because there rich or famous is wrong. The law defines stalking as placing a person in fear of his or her safety, even without intent to carry out the threat.4 Being famous increasingly means living in fearSeventeen percent of the stalker's victims are celebrities.6 “Stalking of celebrities is not done by your average autograph hound.7 The stalking behavior due to delusional disorders affects 3 out of every 10,000 people and only 1%-2% of all mental patients,” Dietz says. “ But it is increasing as our culture promotes celebrities as the religion of the day.”8 “The knowing of the habits and secrets of celebrities has become a national obsession,” says James Swanson, a lawyer and author.9 There is roughly a dozen types of stalkers. Obsessive love motivates most celebrity stalkers, followed by erotomania--a person believing that he or she is loved by someone famous. Can't celebrities just put in a security system, hire a few body guards, have their fan mail checked and relax?10 It's not that simple. “There's a lot of terrorism involved in stalking that is life-altering,” Lane says. “Once you live in fear, you lose trust in people and become more isolated. It hangs with you for the rest of your life. That's a very high price to pay for fame.”11 Where stalking is concerned, society, it seems, wants to keep it a personal matter. Perhaps due to the mostly domestic context of the crime, most people rely on the out of sight, out of mind approach where stalking episodes are concerned. Cases are viewed as “lover's quarrels” or “ personal matters,” and other people (often including law enforcement officials) choose to turn a blind eye--usually until it is too late to he...
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...pers and magazines. This requires lying, bribing, and getting the photograph by any means necessary.22 A photojournalists is journalism in which news stories are presented mainly through photographs. This requires getting assignments from reporters, listening to scanners, and going to games or press conferences. They are there to summarize events and emotions through the lens .23 It's a lot of money when one considers that hundreds of photojournalists struggle to find jobs that average around $20,000 a year. Maybe a little more money could keep the press more focused on what is news?24 Not every news event is pleasant. There are times when people don't want to be photographed. Fires, car accidents, shootings--they are not pleasant, but they are news. I have discussed what celebrity stalking is, why we should have harsher laws against stalking, and what the difference is between photojournalism and the paparazzi. I have proven that stalking celebrities just because of their riches or fame is wrong. If you support my thesis you will go to http://www.soshelp.org/ and expand your knowledge about stalking. Celebrities' lives are like a diary open to the public, supplied by the press.
When they feel rejected they can become extremely violent towards whoever they feel rejected them. Celebrities need to be made aware of how to handle stalkers, so that when they are faced with the problem they can deal with it properly. A forensic science graduate states, "Risk management strategies for this type should emphasize the need for professional protection of the target despite the low frequency risk of violence, since the injury is likely to be more serious if violence does occur …" (Mohandie). Many celebrities won't go to the police to report stalkers because they do not believe it is a real problem. This does not help them get the stalker to go away. When celebrities learn about how to deal with stalkers they are more likely to report the problem to the
Stalking has been a label for a long-term pattern of persistent pursuit and intrusive behavior directed by one person toward another (Logan & Cole, 2007). It is a term that has been around since the late 1980’s coming about to describe the persistent pursuit of celebrities and today is used to describe all manner of unwanted following, approaching, and harassing behaviors directed toward any individual (Logan & Cole, 2007). Some of the most common forms of stalking are repeated phone calls, visiting home or the work place, sending unwanted gifts, emails, letters, or following the victim.
A fan in today’s world is usually characterized as the result of the “star system” portrayed in society due to mass media where media figures’ lives are constantly emphasized on a day to day basis. The internet and society are obsessed with news concerning celebrities, and knowing about their personal life. Today’s social media keeps fans constantly updated about celebrities, giving fans the illusion that they know everything about that celebrity and that they are connected somehow. This type of mass media has made the difference between appropriate behavior and inappropriate behavior of fans less noticeable (Lewis 11). These types of fans, the pathological fans, are also classified as the “o...
...uld be justifiable to emphasize that a good number of them find it sickening to miss the limelight. . Nonetheless, it goes without mentioning that celebrities get exploited because some gossip stories explore the things that would otherwise be considered to be private.
“Posts.” Fame is a dangerous Drug: A Phenomenological Glimpse of Celebrity.” N.p. ,n.d. Web 15. Feb 2014
The deception of media consumers allows for the abuse of economic infrastructures of society. An obsession with celebrities’ lives passifies ordinary people in accepting the stratification of the elite businesses and the ordinary citizens. Though pseudo-events and celebrity worship may not be exactly complementary, the similarities of both leaves the public to be utterly vulnerable unless they begin to critically think for themselves.
Based on a study done by Schwartz-Watts and Morgan at the American Academy of Psychology Law, they found that stalking was far more prevalent than anyone had imagined: 8% of American women and 2% of American men will be stalked in their lifetimes. That’s 1.4 million American stalking victims every year.
In addition, if someone was fallowing you, taking pictures and bullying you every day single day, you would instantly report them to the police and they would without a doubt get the stalkers arrested, and they would get a restraining order. But if a celebrity calls the cops saying that there is someone following them and harassing them, no one is willing to protect them, because they are not able to stop the paparazzi for good. It 's like all celebrities are being punished for being rich and successful. Nobody deserves
Stalking involves threatening behaviors and harassment. It is not the type of actions that should be taken lightly because it can lead to much more violent behaviors. This is why stalking is a very important topic to address when discussing intimate violence. All too often stalking will lead to further violence by not only strangers but acquaintances and former partners. It can also become a toxic situation where harm or death results (Meadows, 2010). Stalking cases can vary in several ways. For instance, the way the stalking takes place and/or the motives behind the stalking. Stalking can begin to happen before the victim even realizes it and that is why it is important to gain knowledge on how to deal with the situation.
In today’s day and age we live in a society obsessed with celebrity culture. This however, is not a new addiction; our society’s fascination with celebrity culture has been around for decades. Through the years, we’ve seen fandom come in various forms, shapes and sizes. From the groupies of the 60s, to the more recent digital-followers, one thing common among all fans is the pedestal on which they’ve put their favorite celebrity. Some people would argue that fans are not only the most important part of a celebrity’s life, but fans are quintessential in their success. Fans admire them, follow their every move: physical or electronic, and purchase anything and everything that might bring them in looking/feeling more like their desired celebrity. Many experts even believe that fan and fan-clubs often resemble religions. One can easily note the similarities between fans and a religious cult; from worshipping to organizing conventions and event recruiting new followers. To some it might even sound like a disorder, and Dr. Lynn McCutcheon after her intense research, was the first one to coin the term: (CWS) Celebrity Worship Syndrome. According to Psychology Today, CWS can be described as a mental-disorder where an individual becomes completely obsessed with the details of the personal life of a celebrity (Griffiths). A celebrity, as defined by Mark Griffiths, can be any person who is present in the ‘public eye’, including Politicians, authors, and journalists, but according to Dr. McCutcheon research they are more likely to be someone from the world of television, film and/or pop music. Continuing on Justin Bieber’s ad campaign, this paper examines the peculiar relationship between consumers and God-like celebrity figures. It showcase...
Havrilesky, Heather. “Stalking Celebrities.” Remix: Reading and Composing Culture. Ed. Catherine G. Latterell. 2nd ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. martin’s, 2010. 446-450. Print.
Much of today’s society seems obsessed on what actors/actress, athletes, and music artist are wearing, eating, who they are marrying, dating, where they are vacationing, what affairs they are having or have had, and how they live their everyday lives. What’s so interesting about this obsession is as a society we are implacable and often place celebrities on a pedestal, only to destroy them when they are illusive or promiscuous. Media outlets are swift to report when celebrities are in trouble but quickly forget all their accomplishments. It’s as if we want them to be perfect but once they are associated with a scandal we embark on destroying their reputation and character. Should society hold celebrities to higher standards just because they are paid millions for endorsements and a craft they worked hard to perfect? Do we as a society have the right to castigate celebrities when they misbehave? Do celebrities have the right to become livid when they are focused on for their immoral behavior? Do they love the media attention only when it benefits them? Before we can answer the above questions, would we, furthermore, can we live our life as a celebrity if given the opportunity?
They want to know everything about them and have a desire for more information. Celebrities should have their right to privacy due to historical/practical rights, their invasion of privacy with paparazzi, and their childrens’ rights to privacy. They are ordinary people just with a famous role in life. Historical/practical rights are one of the biggest issues and it all started back in colonial America. In colonial America, privacy was constrained.
No doubt every simian tribe of hunter-gatherers had their local celebrities: the woman who gave birth to quintuplets, the boy who swallowed a porcupine and survived, the man who wrestled with a tyrannosaurus and... well, he probably would have died, but celebrity status would have been applied posthumously.
The term paparazzi is defined as a freelance photographer, usually one who takes candid pictures of celebrities for publication. The term originated from the surname of the 1959 Federico film, La Dolce Vita. Now, the connotation that arises from the word “paparazzi” is much stronger than just a freelance photographer. The paparazzi are annoying, persistent photographers who, in essence, stalk their celebrity victims and go to any length necessary to get the photograph they desire. But, the paparazzi are doing their job to please the public. Paparazzi tend to target celebrities that fascinate the public; the public’s obsession encourages the paparazzi in their pursuit. The public never calls out the paparazzi for invading the celebrities’ privacy; they only call them out when harm or threats come to the celebrity (Nordhaus 286).