by Lee Deltoro
1921: Six Characters In Search of An Author by
Pirandello debuted at the Teatro Valle in Rome. The characters being portrayed
enter and become active participants in the story telling. It is a
groundbreaking theatrical endeavor dealing with the theme of self-awareness.
The audience reception was lukewarm, reviews were mixed.
The 1960s: I assume the word “polarizing”, was created as
a new descriptor for 22-year-old Muhammad Ali. Not only the most talented man
in his sport, Ali was the most outspoken. Today, lauded for his courage in the
face of adversity, rarely is the source of that adversity discussed - adversity
manufactured by the men watching this “legend” in his prime. Some denounced him
as presumptuous, cocky, arrogant, etc. His pacifist beliefs were vilified as
“draft dodging”. Yet he was almost universally respected, for his skill in the
ring and for his larger than life persona outside of it. All the while, Ali was
acutely aware of, and dead set on defining his public perception. “I aint gonna
be the champ the way you want me to be. I am gonna be the champ the way I want
to be the champ”. He is the gold standard for celebrity in the modern era;
champion of both boxing and the people. He is one of the first pop culture
characters to tell his own story.
Ever since then, we have been searching for his predecessor - not only a performer to erntertain us, moreover an icon we could aspire to. But with the ascension of Rock n Roll, and
subsequently, Hip Hop, the most famous athletes and artists in America were
symbolic of the counterculture. They also became removed. The 90s were the last
era in which celebrities retained their mystique and obscured their private
lives from the public eye. Figures like Charles Barkley and Kurt Cobain did not have to concern themselves with the optics of their personal beliefs or relationships. They could choose not to acknowledge public opinion. The advent of Nancy Grace, TMZ, the twitterati, and a hypersensitive social "conscience" has forced the famous to become more self-aware. Media perception is as
integral a facet of “brand” as performance. We have long taken interest in the
personal lives of our stars, but in the past it was akin to a 3 hour walking
tour, now it is a role-playing theme park. The price of fame, an all-access
pass. Everyone has been assigned a storyline, better known as brand management.
The public needs to know what and how to think about newsmakers, which realm to
place them in. The star’s part is to simply learn the lines, to play the role.
Kanye West and LeBron James are two of the most famous men on the planet.
Successful, respected by their peers, good fathers, have no criminal records,
and outspoken on issues of social injustice. One is the most popular rapper of
this century and the other, its most popular athlete. Yet in the recent
past they have often exchanged the title of 2nd most hated black man in
America. #Barrykeepyoheadup
They are descendants of Muhammad Ali.
