Celebrity, Public Attention and Those That Do Good

It is without a doubt that not all of us attract the same amount of attention in the public eye. Those which hold positions of power in industry or government, those which are successful in sports or the arts, those which do especially heinous crimes and those which are rich (and good-looking) dominate mass and social media.

There is nothing inherently wrong with that; especially those which have power over the public should certainly be given plenty of attention, in particular to assess whether they are using their power in a good way.

However, there is a kind of people I believe receive far too little attention in our current society: those who do good, those who sacrifice their lives for others, in the small and in the big.

Can you name any human rights lawyer? Can you name any volunteer at a homeless shelter? Can you name anyone who fosters troublesome children? Most likely not; because mass and social media do not give attention to those who attempt their best to do something in the interest of others.

However, I think these are the heroes, these are the stars we should celebrate; because these are the people which enable our life of peace and prosperity; these are the people which build the foundation of a healthy and pleasant to live in society.

I think it would be amazing if we could build a repository of stories of those which have fostered goodness in their lives so that we can look up to them, be inspired and follow their example. Also it would be amazing if our mass and social media would apply a 'values filter'; which highlights those stories which help to promote goodness in the world, rather than a 'profit filter'; which highlights those stories which bring profit (since they attract the most readers/viewers).