WORSHIP
"Moody's his name"

"Takeshi Kaneshiro is a tortured soul"

"The last time he was here two years ago, Taiwanese-Japanese Takeshi Kaneshiro was cold, haughty and bad-tempered. In town to promote his new film, Perhaps Love, he was just as disdainful. MAK MUN SAN concludes that looks aren't everything."

I like this article in The Straits Times Life! Section. Something which I wanted to say for a very long time. I wanted to say it when TEO PAU LIN interviewed him two years back. For the record, journalists Ms MAK and Ms TEO are female. So you cannot accuse them of being the "jealous" male that I am.

This is also in line with the Backstreet Boys' upcoming concert early next year which Elinear is so happy about. Well, I was a BSB fan before and I used to wonder whether my future girlfriend could accept her boyfriend's liking for a boyband which she doesn't even like. By right, I should have no problems with Elinear liking BSB.

Furthermore, Excel used to be obsessed with Ekin Cheng, Demon is obsessed with Andy Lau, and Ms Tay used to be obsessed with Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michael Owen, James Lye, etc. (I have not forgotten the day when Ms Tay thrusted a magazine with James Lye on the cover in front of my face when I was studying in the library)

Then comes the problem of idol worship. What is idol worship? Given the facts written in the article, would you reject Takeshi Kaneshiro as your idol or would you embrace his flaws with open arms? Would you excuse him for his flaws because he is just so good-looking?

For example, you hate smoking and insist that your boyfriend quit smoking. Let's say you are a fan of Celebrity X. One day the media reports that Celebrity X is a heavy smoker. Would you turn a blind eye to this fact and continue liking him? Or would you tell yourself that the media report is a fake and convince yourself that X is a non-smoker? Would you be consistent in your principles and reject Celebrity X as your idol?

There was a girl who was a 5566 fan in my law class. Really, she let her obsession cloud her judgement on the law case we were discussing.

I watched the making of LOTR way before the movie was released and it was the first time I saw Orlando Bloom on screen for the first time. I told myself, hey this guy's not bad for a newbie and had some amount of respect for him. UNTIL the girls around me all started liking him AFTER the movie was released. I wasn't very happy about this.

Then my saviour came in the form of Troy, where Orlando Bloom's wimpy character (Paris) sparked EXACTLY the same comments from all the girls. The girls now are complaining about how cowardly and weak the character is. Haha I caught you there. If Orlando Bloom is able to make you have such comments about his character in Troy, doesn't that make him a good actor? Shouldn't you applaud and like him all the more?

I was rather disappointed when Mother Goose, so intelligent and mature that she is, gave the same remarks as all the other girls do.

That's why I say Orlando Bloom fans are not true fans. They should rename themselves Legolas fans instead. The problem with television and movies is that audiences fail to separate fact from fiction. The other problem is that they strengthen social stereotypes. Must all males be handsome, brave and charming like Legolas in LOTR? Are males who do not have such qualities less manly? How about Paris in Troy? If a real war breaks out, would you rather your boyfriend stay to fight valiantly or would you want him to preserve his own life by escaping?

I have been thinking these few months that my growing cynicism over the last few years had been a result of Excel. I have forgiven but I have not forgotten. I'm not trying to criticize anyone here. Stating the issue here will force me to see things clearer. I'm trying to face up to a problem I have eluded for so long. Back then, she constantly tried to measure me against her idea of manliness. My own flaws have ensured that I fall short of these expectations. I certainly do not like the notion that a strong wind can blow my then-skinny frame down.

Ever since, she has planted the seeds of cynicism in me. Whenever someone gets addicted to a celebrity, I face immense pressure. The pressure that I will never be able to measure up to your charming on-screen characters.

While I have a personal vendetta against idol worship, I let it cloud my judgement too. I kept pouring "cold water" on Elinear, forcing her to be realistic about her love for BSB. I also said many not-so-nice things about other people's idols in front of them. Why? I felt I needed to re-claim what I lost as a result of Excel. To that I apologize.

To youths out there, by all means go and pursue your idols, but you must develop the maturity and the sensibility to separate fact from fiction, and to prevent your mind from being clouded.

That is my message.

Things are clearer now. But I must still learn to let go of my burden.
- posted by FaceOff^ @ 12:05 PM