Pathos & The Press

I always question celebrities who take to the cover of magazine to discuss a personal matter. Usually the issue has already become old news as websites and newspapers have spread the word before the weekly can hit the newsstands. Although many celebrities will claim they 'want to help others going through the same thing', we all know the reason is generally all about money. If there is not a book coming out, there is a career or reputation to save. The public cry for understanding and sympathy is never as pure as depicted.

Above: Bill Rancic

I wish no one harm, but why exactly are we expected to care about Giuliana Rancic's latest health drama. It looks like she will be fine which is great, but why does she, or anyone in the press think she is worth the ink or our time. I have never seen Giuliana do anything except go on talk shows, sometimes with her husband, and discuss her personal issues. Her weight, her inability to have a child and now her health scare. I had to check Wikipedia before writing this to even know what her claim to fame is. Besides some hosting jobs as far as I can tell her marriage to Apprentice winner Bill Rancic is about her biggest claim to fame. Her recent cancer scare, like her struggle to have a child, have become her career. Without her public pathos most people would have no clue who she is.

Below: Zachary Quinto


It is exactly people like Rancic that have me respect and appreciate celebrities like Zachary Quinto. I know gay rights have a long way to go and I know that changing the way others think is not easy and often involves going to battle. I also love however, those who choose to battle simply by being who they are. I love when gay celebrities, as Quinto did, toss out their sexuality the same way straight celebrities are able and have the right to. Some have scoffed at Quinto's saying he was never in the closet but I applaud that comment. Quinto never pretended to be straight, he never hid, he was often photographed smiling and hanging with gay friends and rumored boyfriends. He was often connected to gay themed projects, both on screen and on stage. Not making a formal announcement is not the same as pulling a Travolta.

Sometimes I wonder if celebrities who scream their sexuality on magazine covers hurt more than help. I know many of my fellow bloggers disagree and champion those who make sexuality a public affair, but I personally don't support being gay on the same list (that includes cheating, addiction & disease) that gets one on a magazine cover. Being gay isn't something you do, a crime you commit or something you get. It is just something you are. I don't know about the rest of you but my fight for gay rights is not to make being gay important, it is a fight to make it unimportant. I am looking forward to a world where someone comments on their sexuality is not a news story, it just is. Quinto doesn't need our pathos and for a celebrity weaving their way through today's media, that is refreshing.