Ah, Miss Marilyn Monroe. The girl next door. Today in our Comp and Rhet class, someone in our class gave a presentation on Marilyn and the influence of her "quotes." However, it turns out that ironically many of her quotes were actually not spoken by her (you may visit here to see said quotes). But then why do we attribute them to her?
Marilyn Monroe was neither a poetic, wise speaker nor a huge diva. She was genuine, simple, gorgeous, and talented. I think that we attribute these sayings to her because of the mysterious influence she still has today. After all, many women look to her because she is considered one of the most beautiful women of all time, yet nobody had to throw a sandwich at her. She was an individual, an icon, and a human. Because of this, people try to attribute quotes to her said by Harvard professors. Do celebrities really have that much influence over us? Why do we care so much about what they think and what they say? What makes them more special than your average Joe?
I do think that celebrities will have a huge influence on future student's, and therefore we should try to integrate them into the classroom. I have no idea why our society seems to be so fascinated with them, but I would venture to say that it probably has to do with the level of exposure that is possible in today's society. Celebrities are a common bond among people, and I think that that is part of the allure too. They reach a specific audience and are a chance to connect with others who share similar interests.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, you mentioned that some of the quotes used weren't even said by that specific celebrity. That's really interesting and like you said, it's probably got something to do with her allure. However, I think that it should be up to the teacher to bring in factual and relevant "pop" culture. It's a great platform to connect with students, but I don't want them to receive any false information!