house of bedlam

Spent awhile last night watching the Comedy Central roasts of Bob Saget and David Hassllehoff. While they were appropriately mean-spirited and funny enough to appeal to me on a superficial level, as with so many things, I could not help but consider the entire apparatus. Hollywood personalities thrive on time in the spotlight, so it should be no surprise to me that they will go to any lengths to have attention focused on them. However, I operate on the assumption that most of them are buoyed up by massive egos and surrounded by yes-men and assistants whose main occupation is to keep them from being aware of the faults so glaringly obvious to an uncaring and judgmental public. Why then would they agree to undergo a highly public reality check at the hands of some of the most effectively cruel people in the world (comedians)?

The need for fame, I guess. It’s stunning to watch Hulk Hogan, for example, sit through numerous potshots taken at his sexuality and his daughter all for…a little bit of on-air time? I know when I was younger, fame seemed like an appealing concept; now the older I get, the greater my desire not to be really known by anyone. Of course, as a friend pointed out in a recent conversation, some people thrive on negative attention - it’s actually something they can handle better than positive feedback. Still, I think of someone like (recent roastee) Donald Trump as being a person who has specifically designed his life to receive nothing but constant affirmation, and I honestly can’t believe he or anyone else strolls out of their roast experience feeling better than when they walked in (Bob Saget did appear to have a great time at his, but he also appeared to be roasted by a group of people who sincerely loved him and tempered all of their barbs with eye-watering outpourings of respect).

I came away from it feeling as I often do when I try to consider the mentality of women who strip for a living. I’ve never been to a strip club, so I can’t really speak to the experience, but I have a hard time believing that anyone is actually enjoying themselves in there. When does anyone really want to know the truth about what is said behind their back? How can you move forward in life, knowing that the people closest to you and those farthest away all harbor disdain for your physical appearance and personality? Is any amount of time in the spotlight worth undergoing such a rude awakening?