I’ll admit that those celebs that are famous for being famous (Paris Hilton, the Kardashians, etc) they maybe court this sort of attention. But being a successful actor / musician / artist shouldn’t make you fair game for hunters. After all, the money they are getting paid is for the movie they are in / music that they made / art that they’ve produced. They aren’t getting paid for that hideous snapshot someone scored while they were picking their kid up from daycare.

Unless you’re saying they karmically have it coming for being talented / popular? Which, frankly, just sounds a bit petulant and whiny. Sort of like when people say celebs aren’t entitled to have opinions about politics.

Tied up into that package of things that many people want, are things that people don’t want, like paparazzi, the inability to walk down a busy street without people bothering, and stuff like that.  On balance, most people consider it to be an acceptable trade.  If you don’t, don’t be famous.  If you want to act and not be famous, just do live theater.Fame has great rewards and serious consequences.  All of the rewards and consequences are well known.  If you think that the package sucks, don’t fucking take the fucking fame package.  There are endless legions of people who will happily take it for you.

The darker side of this interest is that these same people will continue to pay money to continue obtaining information about said celebrity. And demand will always create supply (look at drugs or prostitution).

As such, the only way to reduce paparazzi activities is to reduce the prevalence of celebrity obsession within our culture. I am, however, unsure that celebrities would actually want this to be done. To summarise, it is not that celebrities ‘deserve’ this treatment or are paid to bear it, but that the same process underlies both the advantages and disadvantages of celebrity.

If you want to make millions of dollars staring in major releases, bump your publicity to get said roles, and get media attention to support your career, then the paparazzi are going to stalk you.  It is a pretty well known side effect of publicizing yourself.  You can void it almost instantly by ending your career and doing something boring.

There are real victims to these assholes.  People who suddenly score fame or infamy through no fault of their own have my fullest and sympathy.  People who pursue fame and get it, but don’t like all that it comes with get the worlds tiniest violin from me.  

It is like going into a goth club because you like the clothing and people, but then bitching and moaning that the goth music is hurting your ears.  If you don’t like it, just GTFO.  It is a package deal.

Lots of people take jobs with downsides. I can’t come to work in a bathrobe. I knew it going in. It is unfair, but I accept it. The work I do is interesting enough to make up for the droll decency standards.

Lots of people have to do shit for work they don’t want to do, but do so anyways because the work/pay/whatever makes it worth it. Don’t think that all the good shit that comes with being a star is worth it? Then stop being a star. If you have no options, you can complain about how you have to do terrible work to survive. When you are making millions you can find a new career or stop complaining. Lots of people do far nastier work for far less pay.

Or the fulgerator! http://www.juliusvonbismarck.com/bank/index.php?/projects/fulgurator-action/

I have little sympathy

I suppose everyone needs a manifesto.

Do you realize that the paparazzi scream obscenities and spit at celebrities and their children to get a reaction, that they drive dangerously to cut them off in traffic, that they trespass to get nude photos of people in bedrooms and other private places? Nobody gets paid to put up with that.

Why not wear ads on your clothes or something the newspapers wouldn’t want to print?

That way magazines get that nice photo of you on vacation for their spread and thus no one follows you since why pay thousands of dollars for a photographer when they can get the photos for free online with some basic republishing rights. Problem solved.

On the one hand, people should have a basic right to privacy. If you don’t want to talk to the media, they should be required  to honour that, and people should have at least some expectation of privacy even in public.

On the other hand, we’re talking about working class people who’s livelihood is an annoyance to people who are obscenely privileged. I can’t justify putting the latter’s interests above the former.

I lived near a celebrity for a period, and the papparrazzi stalking her were some seriously slimy people.  They littered trash everywhere, made tons of noise, and were just generally a-holes to everyone.  I wonder if there could be some tech solution!  IR lights that blind cameras!