When was the last time you freaked out over a celebrity?

Our celebrity worship has reached idolatry. (brownpau, Creative Commons)

To some readers out there, I’m sure the dreamy eyes and washboard abs of Zac Efron or Channing Tatum are the subjects of heated discussion and shrieking. For others, Kate Upton’s voluptuous curves or the subtle “girl next door” beauty of Emma Watson or Natalie Portman get you going. 

Recent Remembrance Day celebrations garnered international attention as usual, but it was queen-to-be Kate Middleton’s behavior that dominated this year’s headlines. British tabloids and netizens alike freaked out over her behavior, deeming her seemingly apathetic smiles and hair twirling during the ceremony to be inappropriate and disrespectful in light of the memorial’s solemnity. 

What irks me is the fact that we’re even talking about what Middleton was doing. Who cares?

A consuming obsession with the activities and lives of celebrities defines our generation. Whether it's Miley Cyrus’ provocative performance at the VMAs or Justin Bieber smoking marijuana that shocked Twitter users, our celebrity worship is on the brink of idolatry. Issues of social and global significance fade into obscurity, as we are unable to resist the temptation of knowing which Kardashian sister sports the more attractive backside.

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The last time I checked, Remembrance Day was an occasion to commemorate the lives and sacrifices of soldiers during World War I, not an opportunity to embarrass the nobility present. 

The fact that people and the media bothered to scrutinize Middleton for such a trivial action, which pales in comparison to the actions of other notorious celebrities, reflects upon the disease of superficiality that has infected many of us.

Understandably, the reason why we adore and follow celebrities so incessantly is that we innately seek drama. Given the monotonous lives we lead, limited to lectures, homework and perhaps the one party on Thursday night, it is inevitable that we look to celebrities to provide the excitement and high-rolling lifestyle that we will probably never experience. 

However, should these people be the focus of our precious time and energy?

The world faces pressing issues that demand far greater attention than Kate Middleton’s hair flinging. As highly educated students, it is our responsibility to discern between the important and unimportant and recognize that while celebrities play an instrumental role in shaping popular opinion, they are only as influential as the attention we give them. 

Perhaps it is time we pay more attention to our personal development, relationships with family and friends and social injustices rather than the demigods who we can almost touch through our computer screens.

Celebrities are mere mortals, like many of us, and the scrutiny that they suffer is a result of our inability to break free from an underlying desire to lead someone else’s life. Kate Middleton needs our opinions and criticism as much as we need her as a figure worth obsessing over. 

So the next time a friend asks you who wore it better, smile, flip your hair and reply, “I would."