Why Some People Matter More Than You

This article is to clarify a couple things the last article failed to do. You may find the previous article here. If you have already read it, you're in the right place!

Previously I had spoken of how all men are not created equal. This controversial statement is interesting, especially since it's in the Declaration of Independence, written by rich, white, slave-owning politicians and landowners. In order for this to take on a modern meaning, slaves, women, and even children ought to be included...but there's nothing constitutional about that. Ironically men pretty much means what it says: men. Slaves were not considered functioning members of society and women were not men. Children were just a joke to have included in the rights.

Why am I saying this? Because although I believe all men are born with equal ability to have the same rights, those rights are determined by the individual to attain. This takes work, diligence, and time, and although you may think money (or lack thereof) gets you free pass into being a functioning citizen, then you're wrong. Slavery is abolished and african-americans are now considered 'men' in a legal and binding way. They are as much our brothers as the next white guy down the line, and since it has been nationally established it no longer rings true in the words "All men are created equal." But once again, this is NOT constitutional. IT is the opening line to the Declaration, which is neither a legal document nor a lawmaking one at that.

So legally then, all men are not truly equal (despite being created as such). As you can see, our society has dubbed some men more significant than others: the president, our congressmen, our CEOs, and our local law enforcers. We have also dubbed celebrity as more important as well. Your voice is not heard as clearly as Paris Hilton's, as evidenced by her ability to hop out of jail on a whim for something you'd be locked up for years for doing! Although we'd like to believe in the dilusion that we are as important as Hilton is, we're not. The bigger point is we can work all our lives to better society and a tramp like her will still have a bigger voice.

My point is, simply, that you are not as important as I am on some days. The same thing goes for me; there will be moments when my opinion matters less than yours too. It is determined by:

1- your status in society, often monetary or authoritarian

2- your popularity and marketability (popular people get heard)

3- your ability to be noticed by onewho is more important/significant

Let's face it: American Idol finalists are nobodies until someone notices them, namely the "American public" (actually people who rig it behind the scenes as you think your votes truly count). They then proceed to get their unwarranted 15 minutes of fame because they are said to have a certain skill that they simply do not possess. The person who tells them this is the most important person to them at this point in their life. They are then ushered off to make albums so they'll make MONEY, not make MUSIC. They are then slaves to the market of music and are manhandled around the place by corrupt and greedy managers. Ideal? I don't think so. They think their voice is the one that matters, but the voice of money is even more important than the voice of their fame! In the end it seems they had won when the entire time they had lost everything they wanted. It motivates people to be 'successful'based on doing nothing for society. This does NOT make them inherently more important, it actually lessens their value in reality except we do not see it that way!

What is better, so be successful and rich and make terrible "art," all the while not being heard for what you think you are saying, or the opposite? I'd rather be heard for my exact worth (it ought to be more worthy than someone like Paris Hilton) and be listened to for the content of what I say than to be listened to by blinded consumers who have bought into what they don't really know about.

In short, they are famous so they are worth more in this world. You aren't and so your voice is petty, in fact you may not have one at all. The only way for you to be considered 'equal' is to find some guy who can market your looks or your big mouth and sell millions to be as useless as you are right now. Useless applies to those who are striving for this thing called 'fame' where they will sell their soul to the market and live the rest of their lives being a mute foghorn, loud as can be and yet never saying anything that means anything. But hey, you will be more significant, that's for sure. You just won't have anything to be significant about. You will be able to look at those of us who are less equal and laugh from your fake ivory tower in scorn, while those of us who are mute will merely laugh inside until that tower comes crashing down.

On a side note: those who deserve recognition are those who work on bettering the world without bringing the limelight to their own endeavors. These people may not be rich (and they may be) but they don't let that define their status. Their actions define what they do, and because they are define by what they have done for the better they will always have an edge in significance. This doesn't mean they are popular either, because oftentimes doing the right thing is seldom the popular thing.

--TK