Crime in uk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crime in uk - Essay Example The root cause of cult of celebrity is the deep-seated human desire to appear inspirational, famous and strong to lead ordinary people and attain personal satisfaction and fulfillment for belonging in the class of celebrities (Walker and Smith 2002). According to social identity theory, people identify themselves by their social groups which they belong and judge others by the memberships to the groups. Celebrity worship originated in 1880s since inventors, scholars and political leaders were perceived as cultural heroes and people were celebrated for being famous in the society (Walker and Smith 2002). Accordingly, the emergence of mass media technologies in 1920s and popularity of the entertainment industry shifted the cult of celebrity from character of the individual to personality of the individual (Walker and Smith 2002). Another factor that contributed to the popularity of cult of celebrity was the decline in morality due to decline in organised religion. These fixations of public personality distort the behaviour of individuals since millions are obsessed with famous celebrities such as Nicole Kidman and Tom Hanks (Walker and Smith 2002). A survey conducted among teachers in primary and secondary schools in UK concluded that cult of celebrity was affecting children’s expectations and aspirations in life since many teachers believed that their children want to be famous (Rojek 2001). The cult is producing a younger generation that believes educational achievements and hard work are not essential in attaining success in life. In this case, children will grow up with low self-esteem, sense of failure and alienation due to relative deprivation. Children idolise themselves with popular celebrities such as football stars, popular musicians and actors. The cult of celebrities is a widespread obsession, worship and idolatry on