Public speaking competition

Last December 21, 2015 a Public Competition was held at Asia Pacific College. And I was part of it, I mean I was a participant during the event. All in all there were 30 participants. We were assigned to different rooms in the 7th floor to deliver our speeches about " The Cult of Celebrities and Fantasies a Filipino obsession?"  I was assigned to Discussion room B. Although I wasn't able to be part of the Final 9 to push through to the finals. It's okay at least I had an experience in public speaking. Let me share to you my speech.

“The Cult of Celebrities and Fantasies. A Filipino Obsession?”

Good Day to all of you! Today I will discuss about the cult of celebrities. Yes, you did hear me correctly. It would never cross your mind to put those two words in a sentence right?  I just did. 

So what is this cult I’m talking about? Cult pertains to a group of people with fresh ideas and deviant beliefs. Figuratively speaking, I will be tackling the positive and negative effects of these celebrities in our lives. By definition, “fanaticism” is an excessive display of obsession or interest to a certain thing, belief or person. Presently the society is dictated by the power of social media. It is manifested in several ways. It could be in a form of massive collection of Harry Potter souvenirs and the like. It could be looking up to a legendary basketball player like Kobe Bryant. It could be attending various fan meet ups, taping or watching your favourite so called celebrities. Have we gone too far that the admiration has become an obsession? In our generation today, we strive so hard to imitate and recreate these personalities among us.

With the unending and unchanging news we get in politics, we couldn’t blame Filipinos resorting and paying more attention in the show business industry. It drives us away from the more serious problems we should be facing. To be more concrete, a perfect example of celebrity idolatry or fanaticism is the fans of the very popular “Aldub” love team, which apparently filled the entire Philippine arena. It created a massive attention and sensation not only nationally but worldwide. They are trending in Twitter. They are the topic in Facebook posts and news feed. They are the topic of conversations among circles of friends. They have dominated. They are so famous and hyped up, that even writers from different parts of the world have written an article about them.

I have to admit Filipinos find joy in simple things and that’s one thing I’m proud of. We could win the heart of foreigners with our smile. These celebrities make us happy in a way no one would understand.  In line with this, we are moved with how an ordinary girl has made a name in the competitive world of showbiz. It somehow serves as an inspiration to others.

On a personal note there is nothing wrong in being a fan. I for one is a fan. It is inevitable to admire people with great talent or beauty. We are fascinated by these celebrities. Who wouldn’t? It is their job to entertain us. It is self-affirming and fulfilling. We feel happy when they are successful and disappointed when they are going through difficult times. We empathize and sympathize. What I believe is wrong is when it affects your relationship to people, it destroys moral obligations and it goes beyond ethical duties. That’s when I call it cult of celebrities.

I have seen a show before depicting the life of a die-hard fan who almost gave up everything for a celebrity. This person is a smart one who excels in class, the pride and hope of his family.  He got too involved into a fans club of a particular celebrity. He forgot his tasks as a student. He began to skip classes just to watch a shooting or taping of a movie. He spent his allowance in doing projects or holding events to show support to the celebrity he admires. He got into arguments and fights defending this celebrity against his haters. He started to lie to his parents for not joining them in their church just to watch an interview for this celebrity. He goes home late because he was too busy doing bits and pieces of a fan’s life. He failed to fulfil his role as a son, as a student and as a child of God.

Moreover let’s recall the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge, which ruined the naturally beautiful lips of the teens who went for it. Instead of engaging oneself in real life challenges, which are more essential, we find ourselves wasting our time with things like this.

In conclusion, Filipinos are heavily influenced and or in more favor of celebrities and fantasies.