Published: October 21, 2009 10:59 am      

Fifteen minutes

The balloon boy is allegedly a hoax. Rumors are that the family wanted a reality show.

Andy Warhol said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” What will we not give up to fulfill his prophecy?

Celebrity news has all but eclipsed actual news in the United States and will continue to do so.

“Old George Orwell got it backward,” Chuck Palahniuk said in his novel "Lullaby." “Big Brother isn’t watching. He’s singing and dancing. He’s pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you’re awake. He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you’re fully absorbed. He’s making sure your imagination withers. Until it’s as useful as your appendix. He’s making sure your attention is always filled.”

For the record, it doesn’t make someone a bad person to read about their favorite actor or musician every once in a while. It’s fine if somebody wants to know what kind of crunches Matthew McConaughey does. Until real news is read, however, you’ll see less and less of it.

Palahniuk wrote, “And this being fed, it’s worse than being watched. With the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what’s in your mind. With everyone’s imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world.”

We certainly don’t want to encourage anyone to be a threat to the world, but we’d like to see the day when Darfur and Honduras get at least equal media coverage with American Idol.