Americans are obsessed with fame. You could lay the aforementioned claim at any generation's feet, but few generations embody the American fascination with notoriety as potently as millennials and Gen Z. Although the problem was already quite pronounced before the advent of social media, apps like Instagram and Tik Tok have only exacerbated the issue. Gen Z has even developed the term "clout chaser" to describe people that search for renown through either traditional fame or infamy and have no qualms about the means used to attain it.
Despite all of the more negative associations with fame, Americans still court it as passionately as a peacock during mating season. However, even though fame is widely coveted, those that garner it are often vilified by their peers and certain members of their families after they gain access behind celebrity's velvet ropes. In the video linked above, Billy Corgan sits down with Howard Stern to explain how poorly his father reacted to his fame in the 90s.
