Frank Acierno (FGCU) Celebritys

Yesterday a couple of my friends and I drove down to Miami to watch the Sony Ericson Open  a tennis masters series event in which all of the top pros participate in.  One of my friends accompanying me happened to idolize one of the top professionals at this tournament Roger Federer and he was driven to meet him at this event.

My friend happened to meet one of the announcers (Cliff Drysdale) for the event earlier this month who told my friend that there was a possibility that he could meet Federer if we went to the Sony Ericson open.  We showed up at the Ericson open and my friend called Drysdale and Drysdale gave my friend the phone number of Federer’s agent.  Federer’s agent told us that there was a possibility that we could meet Federer he told us that Federer was warming up on a back court and to just follow him when he was done warming up into the player’s lounge and that he would set up an appointment between Federer and my friend.  We rushed to the back courts in excitement to meet the great roger federer but it looked as if everyone else was just as excitied.  When federer was done hitting he was swarmed by eager fans desperate to have a picture or an autograph.  I went from a feeling of eaginess and excitement to a feeling of sadness for federer for he couldn’t move more than two inches without being bambared and jumped on by fans.  These people who were pushing cameras and papers into his face didn’t know him as a person, they didn’t know how he felt that day all these people knew was that this person was famous and that his signature meant something.  I become embarrassed as I was mixed in the crowd of annoying fans. 

Just as Federer thought he was finally done signing autographs and being pushed around he began walking into the player’s lounge finally left alone but then he was stopped by his agent and was told to talk to my friend.  My friend was stunned he got a picture and an autograph and he told federer “I have loved you for ten years.”

I stepped back and thought about that, he just told another man he loved him for ten years, that may seem like an ordinary thing to say to an idol.  But the fact of the matter is Federer is an everyday ordinary human being who just so happens to be an exceptionally good tennis player.  How would you feel if someone you have never met or seen before in your life were to tell you that they have loved you for the last ten years.  I would hope that you would be a little worried. 

The social problem that I am addressing here is that some people look to celebrities too much for answers or for guidance without understanding that celebrities are ordinary human beings just like you and I.  Celebrities should not have any extra pull or weight to what they say compared to ordinary people and they should also not hold any more responsibility than the average person.

This entry was posted on 1. April 2009 at 01:05 and is filed under Social Problems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.