The Celebrity Cult of Greed

What is it about desire that is never satiated?

The thought, “Wow, I have so much… I need more!”

When corporations take too much, society thinks it’s a bad thing, and governmental actions are taken.

Standard Oil, Ma Bell, the railroads...

When individuals take, we’re somehow OK with it.

Football used to be broadcast over the public airways—and most games still are—but more and more often, pay services are scooping up games, leaving the common man out in the cold.

Why?

I mean, player salaries, for one thing.

Does any individual need $40 million a year?

The average ticket price for an NFL game is over $100, and that doesn’t include things like parking, or food costs if you plan on grabbing a bite to eat.

(Speaking of parking, when the new Clippers arena opened, they started socking fans for $70 per car. So the NFL isn’t the only greedy sport out there.)

And then there are celebrities.

Look, I get staring in commercials.

Why not?

I’d do it, if anyone ever wanted me to.

(They don’t.)

But slapping your name on a product just to get paid?

Yeah… that’s a little too Krusty the Clown for me.

(See Season 4, Episode 1 of The Simpsons: Kamp Krusty.)

Or, here, everyone makes fun of Donald Trump for licensing anything and everything under the sun.

Why do we mock him for doing so, but give Beyonce a pass for hair care products no one needs?

Celebrity worship is unhealthy no matter the celebrity, yet that’s not how we treat it.