Kylie Lang: How about we show some compassion for LA’s celebrities after firestorm
No matter how much money you have, memories do not come with a price tag, they are forged over time, without us even realising we are making them, writes Kylie Lang.
Kylie Lang
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Don’t cry for Billy Crystal. He has enough money to build another house, what’s the big deal?
His $14m Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles has been destroyed by fire, as have homes belonging to other celebrities.
No tears for millionaires.
This seems to be a familiar theme – and a really disappointing one.
No matter how much money you have, memories do not come with a price tag.
They are forged over time, without us even realising we are making them.
As John Lennon sang in his 80s’ hit Beautiful Boy, life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.
Our memories are made, almost in spite of our busyness, and while they will be different they are equally valuable.
So quit being envious of people’s material wealth and show some compassion.
I was saddened to read of Billy Crystal and his wife Janice’s loss.
The couple has lived in the same house for 46 years.
That’s a lot of family photos hung on walls, a lot of conversations around the dinner table.
“Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing,” the acclaimed comedian, 76, said in a statement.
“Janice and I have lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here.
“Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away.
“We are heartbroken, of course, but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this.”
Other celebrities who’ve lost homes include actors Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, James Woods and Anna Faris.
Yet some people would have us not report this at all. What about Joe and Jane Average, readers ask.
I get that celebrities have enough money to not live in a tent for the foreseeable future, that they won’t need to engage in protracted battles with insurance companies, and that they can, as the phrase goes, start over.
But that does not mean we should discount their distress.
We all bleed the same.
Besides, it doesn’t have to be a choice. Showing empathy for the rich and famous doesn’t mean we disregard those who aren’t.
We can, and we should, care about both.
Let’s not forget, celebrities are where they are – elevated to some perceived pedestal – because we put them there.
They’ve made an impression on us, one way or another.
Without fans, there would be no stars.
Where would Taylor Swift be without her Swifties?
Deakin University’s Paul Harrison is an expert in consumer behaviour and says humans are driven by “seeking a better life and a desperate desire not to be ignored or forgotten”.
“So we look to celebrities to help guide us on how to achieve something akin to their lives,” Dr Harrison says.
“We believe that if we follow those with success, some form of authority or a sense of power, we set ourselves on the right path.”
But he rightly adds that everyone has complicated lives and we shouldn’t believe only what we see.
Take the royal family. We used to believe they lived charmed lives but as the media landscape has changed we’ve come to realise, as Dr Harrison puts it, “they’re just as dodgy and dysfunctional as our families”.
“Yet, we still want to believe in the fairytale – that’s why the Netflix series, The Crown, is so successful.”
If, as he says, celebrities have assumed positions of influence once occupied by authority figures like kings and queens and religious leaders, then those who use that influence in a positive way should be applauded.
How great of actor Jamie Lee Curtis to pledge $1m (A$1.5m) to support fire victims.
How clever of Hacks’ star Jean Smart to urge networks not to televise Hollywood’s upcoming awards and instead donate the revenue they would have received to victims and firefighters.
Reporting on the plight of celebrities during these heinous fires that have so far claimed 10 lives reminds us that no one is immune from nature’s wrath – or the failed decisions by authorities that a growing chorus of people claim have fuelled the tragedy.
It also shows us that hating on celebrities is an ignorant stance to take.
Kylie Lang is associate editor of The Courier-Mail
Kylie.lang@news.com.au
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