In as much as the celebrity race is ubiquitous, it is perhaps relevant to analyse part of Copeland’s motive as an attempt to acquire fame. The normal pattern of achieved celebrity involves public acclaim and the ritu-alization of bonds of recognition and belonging. If the desire to ‘be someone’ is not achieved by ‘normal’ means, some individuals will have a compelling propensity to use violence as a means of acquiring fame through notoriety. The use of violence may be interpreted as an act of revenge on society for not recognizing the extraordinary qualities of the individual. After all, democratic culture encourages us to think that all are important, and all are special. Where the course of life does not fulfil these expectations, an individual may experience powerful feelings of frustra-tion, rejection and invalidation. These feelings may be transferred onto society or onto a ‘celestial’ representative of society, namely a celebrity.
Hence, perhaps the celebrity race is one factor in exploring the aetiology of so-called ‘meaningless, high-profile crime’ and stalking. Needless to say,
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incidents of terrorism, murder and serial killing cannot be interpreted as the reflection of feelings of frustration at failing to win public acclaim in the celebrity race. In every case, the reasons behind these actions require empirical investigation. Invariably this reveals violent conduct to be the result of a complex interplay of psychological factors involving the family, sexuality, politics, work and the other relevant institutions of social life.
The argument I am making here is that the celebrity race should be recog-nized as one institution in social life that may prove to be relevant as a factor in precipitating some forms of violent behaviour. Copeland’s bomb-ing campaign cannot simply be regarded as a quest for acclaim, since it led to him being demonized by press and public alike. On the other hand, given his own published account, it is reasonable to interpret his conduct as a quest for recognition, a strategy for being accepted as special and extraordinary. To some extent, the dynamics of modern society mean that all of us are caught up in the celebrity race. It is axiomatic that only a minority acquire the public acclaim and recognition that we associate with celebrity status. It is also axiomatic that if the majority suffer from feelings of rejection and invalidation, they internalize them in ways that pose no threat to the social order. The proposition I wish to explore in this chapter is that some individuals transfer feelings of rejection and invalidation onto celebrities, who are regarded as representatives of social recognition and belonging, or externalize these feelings onto society at large for failing to recognize their special qualities.
Freud held that creative artists are chiefly motivated by the desire to achieve fame, wealth and sexual fulfilment. Generally speaking, celebrities are richer than ordinary people, possess greater opportunities for sexual liaisons with attractive partners, have more power to evade the intrusions of the law, and, for the most part, move about more easily in society. This is certainly the public perception, and it is one reason why celebrity status is so widely coveted and fantasized about. To some degree the desire for celebrity is a refutation of social convention. Transgression, one might
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postulate, is intrinsic to celebrity, since to be a celebrity is to live outside conventional, ordinary life.
Every accountant will tell you there is no gain without pain. In the midst of their wealth, political access and sexual possibilities, celebrities doubtless reflect on the burdens attendant upon celebrity status. Being stalked by the paparazzi, pestered by autograph-hunters and taunted by strangers figure prominently in the litany of complaints made by celebri-ties in respect of their fame. The incidence of marital tension, divorce and family discord are higher among the celebritariat than the average. The same goes for rates of mental illness and mortality. Elevation clearly inten-sifies what Georg Simmel called the ‘radioactivity’ of the individual, and this has personal costs as well as benefits. But given the ratio between winners and losers in the celebrity race, and the enormous material gains and status boost for winners, perhaps the whys and wherefores of celebrity status do not keep Britney Spears or Will Smith awake at night. What does keep some of their fans awake at night are fantasies about the lives that these people are leading, the wealth that surrounds them, the automatic popularity they enjoy, the doors that are open to them. The appetite for celebrity reflects a satiated thirst for the responsibilities and rules that pin down the rest of us.
Without doubt, celebrity is a widely desired characteristic of modern life, but the chances of gaining it via achieved celebrity are limited.
Although it is relevant to comment on how celebrities themselves deal with the opportunities for transgression that celebrity status permits, this can be postponed here. The immediate question is to examine the relationship between transgression and the desire to achieve celebrity status in ordi-nary, everyday culture.
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