The Price of Fame

So here I am, taking a break from studying (if you can actually call what I've been doing STUDYING)... ate a light snack, surfed the net, when I came across some news, one regarding a certain international actress who's birth is imminent. Yeah, I'm aware that Angelina Jolie is about to give birth soon, I don't live under a rock, you know. and besides, it's practically bannered on the Yahoo! homepage.... so why am I being defensive here?! hehe.

Man, It must be hard being famous ---despite the fame, the money, the glamour, and all that sweet stuff. There are a lot of drawbacks, mostly pertaining to privacy, and that includes health care. Sometimes you'd wonder if losing privacy is worth all that fame and fortune. For crying out loud, even when you're about to give birth you'll still be worried about photographers and journalists hounding you?! Based on my own experience, anonimity is one of life's great benefits. The right to privacy is one of those rights that make you feel free. I'd probably die if i lose that. Several times the offer has been dangled on me (i refuse to elaborate on that. haha), all that money is tempting after all--- but no amount of money can compensate for the loss of privacy. Here's one instance: Whenever I feel blue, or whenever I need to cool off, i take what I call a "jeepney ride to nowhere"--- riding a random jeepney, and getting off where the driver's route ends. In a strange way, it gives me peace of mind, just sitting back, looking at unfamiliar places, watching how strangers interact with one another, immersing myself on the local colour... weird, i know. hehe. But my point being--- Can you imagine a celebrity doing that?

The media and laymen are not the only ones guilty of not honoring a celebrity's right to privacy. Health care professionals are guilty of that too (now I have to watch my back, a lot of health care professionals have probably added me to their death lists for exposing that well guarded secret. LOL). It's not really that surprising--- doctors, nurses, and virtually all workers employed at your local hospital are people too. They also exhibit interest, whether they admit it or not, in the lives of famous people. How else can you explain how fast news such as "a certain celebrity has entered the hospital premises" can spread on all corridors of a hospital? much more when a celebrity gets admitted. Depending on the level of a celebrity's fame, all details of his or her admission would be known to all employees--- so much for the right to privacy. Too bad for those who are supposed to undergo an embarrassing operation (like this TV host). The very next day, some nurses and interns have made him an object of ridicule. And how about this sexy star/ comedian on the rival network? She was scheduled for cystectomy at another hospital.... one of the most prestigious private hospitals in the country. You'd think with all the money she spent at the hospital, they would've given her everything. I guess she got everything--- except privacy. The very minute she became unconscious, the operating room was packed with male interns, nurses, residents, and consultants. Pictures of her breasts are still being passed from cell phone to cellphone up to this day. What she doesn't know won't hurt her--- that's what they all said. So much for QUALITY hospital care that each hospital professes. Apparently, quality doesn't necessarily include privacy, at least if you're a famous person.

Not wanting to sound hypocritical here, but it is appaling to have health care professionals behaving like this. Giving in to human nature is not an excuse. Patients trust us, they expect us to honor their right to privacy. And because they give us their trust, it's easier for us to exploit them, and that makes the act even more disgraceful. It's like kicking a person when he's down. Honoring a patient's right to privacy is part of the oath that all physicians take--- but how many can actually honor that oath? honestly?

Still, even if a physician honors a patient's right to privacy, you can be sure that there's at least a single nurse, or medical technologist, nurse aid, janitor, or any hospital employee who won't give a famous patient that right--- It's hard to fight human nature after all. The only place celebrities can get health care that honors their right to privacy would be in a place where they are considered non celebrities. For local celebrities, they can just go abroad--- even a simple acne can start those tongues wagging after all. And when they come back home, nasty rumors are sure to start. And those people famous internationally? I pity them even more. Come to think of it, it's not really their fault that they're famous. They may be well known as actors, models, artists, singers, etc... but it is the ordinary people who are making all the commotion that seem to go hand in hand with fame. And it is also the ordinary people who are devouring every information they can get, like predators pouncing on their prey. Can't these people just serve to entertain, without all the fuss and intrusion from common folks? Just because we put these people on the spotlight, that doesn't give us the right to know every single detail of their lives. As I've said, I pity those international "stars" even more. They'd be hard pressed to find a place where no one would mind them. They'd have to exert extra effort since what was once a God given right has become a privilege. Maybe Namibia isn't such a bad place after all.