Celebrities and Narcissism

Do you remember the myth about Narcissus? He saw his reflection in a pond, and became fixated upon it. Day after day, he did naught but sit by the pond and stare at his own image. Finally, the gods just turned him into a flower.

In my previous post called Those Radical Christians, I registered my anger about Rosie O'donnell and other celebrities who foist their uninformed and often unintelligent opinions on their vast audiences. I said, "We know that many other famous entertainers are spreading their ill-formed views of world affairs on the public. They should know better."

Recently on ABC talk radio, Sean Hannity has been complaining about his interview with Alec Baldwin. When Hannity tried to use some simple facts to get Baldwin to adjust his views, Baldwin barked at him some words to the effect that Hannity is an ignorant, no-talent, former construction worker. So apparently, Hannity has been dumping on Baldwin almost daily. Hannity blasts Baldwin for opining that construction workers are some sort of lesser human being than, say, actors. Hannity also points out that Baldwin is not exactly an "A-list" actor, and may not have any more talent than Hannity does.

Both Rosie and Alec demonstrate that characteristic I loathe--the attitude that, they are better than the 'common folk,' smarter than the 'common folk,' and that their opinion on various social and political topics is therefore right and good. Why, I have often wondered, do these idiots behave that way? Most of them have not had the quality of education that I have, and have probably not had any more enlightening life experiences. What they have that I do not have is a large public platform and a bright spotlight.

Well, I found the answer in an article in the Health and Science section of this week's issue of The Week magazine.

Dr. Drew Pinsky, physician and host of the radio show Loveline, collected personality data from 200 of his celebrity guests. He tested them for narcissistic traits. These traits include the (unsupported) belief that they are smarter, more talented, or more worthy than other people. Pinsky found out that male celebrities are significantly more narcissistic than average people, and that female celebrities are even worse. He found that the narcissism is less in celebrities whose fame comes from actual talent, such as musicians. So the most narcissistic celebrities are the female reality show contestants. Pinsky also points out that narcissism should not be confused with egotism, or genuine self-love. Narcissists actually have low self-esteem, due to abandonment, abuse, or other childhood emotional trauma.

So there we have it--Rosie and Alex appear to be perfect examples of the narcissistic celebrities. In their eyes, they are more worthy than you and I and smarter than you and I. That's why you and I should take their political opinions as gospel, even if contrary to the facts in evidence.

As I think about some of the really intelligent and talented celebrities, I note that they pretty much keep their opinions of things other than their trade to themselves, and eschew the tendency to abuse their very public platforms. Some examples might be Anthony Hopkins, Sir Alec Guinness, and Dame Judy Dench.

The anecdotal evidence all correlates with Dr. Pinsky's analysis. We bestow fame and celebrity on someone who has modest or no talent, and he becomes a Narcissist! It apparently just comes with the fame.