Why do we hand out awards to people who have already "won" in life?
There was a small controversy recently when the family of the late Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg objected to the Opperman foundation awarding prizes in her name to a bunch of rich, white, right-wing Republican men, such as Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch. At first, this sounded like an article from The Onion, as the "Ginsburg Prize" was supposed to go to women of merit - leaders in their fields - who worked toward the same goals as the late RBG.
Elon Musk? Rupert Murdoch? It was like a mockery of everything the late Justice Ginsburg stood for.
But beyond that, it got me thinking as to why we have these awards ceremonies that hand out golden statuettes to millionaires and billionaires - as if they haven't "won" already. I'd love to hear an acceptance speech at the Oscars where the honoree says, "Gee, thanks for this nice statue and honor, it really is so much better than the $10M and 5% of the gross that I got from my latest blockbuster tent-pole comic-book explosion movie! All that was nice, but this golden statue is what makes it all really worthwhile!"
But that will never happen. Even rich people have to play the game, if they want to become even richer.
Why can't we hand out awards to people who do the right thing in life, save lives, change the world for the better - and rarely if ever profit from it? Handing out awards to someone who is already a millionaire seems kind of obvious - the world has already "awarded" them riches and fame. How about a trophy for the person who defended his country and lost a limb in the process? How about an award for the person who pulled orphans from a burning building? How about an award for the person who worked as a doctor in a war zone or in an area stuck by famine? Those people never get to walk the red carpet. The best they can hope for is to be used as a prop at some political event, if that.
I have noted before that it seems we, as human beings, are programmed to worship celebrities, leaders, and the wealthy. Perhaps this is a survival skill we learned in the age of warring city-states. Those who were not protected by a powerful tribal leader would be wiped out by some other tribe. Those who went against their own tribal leader would be wiped out by him. Either way, you lose, which is why back then, one of the worst punishments was to be "exiled" from society - it was an all-but-certain death sentence, once they shoved you outside the city gates and slammed the door behind you.
Then again, it is also a survival instinct developed over time that a certain percentage of us are explorers and outcasts - who leave the protection of society and seek out new places to live - at great risk to themselves, of course - and possible great reward, as well. But I digress.
So we worship celebrities, political figures, religious figures, the wealthy, the sports stars, the famous, and even the infamous - from afar. Some of us do this more than others. Myself, I could care less about the sordid details of the lives of Hollywood "A-list" actors. For others, it is their whole life. People dedicate their lives to following some celebrity - they become "fan-boys" (or girls) of some actor or sports star or even billionaire. There are people who "simp" for Elon Musk, who really doesn't need their support, as he can sleep on a mattress stuffed with a billion dollars, if he chose to. The Trump fans don't really care about policy or politics or even the crazy things Trump says and does - they are fans, plain and simple (usually both) and follow him with the same fervor they have for their favorite sports team.
For some people, fandom is all they have in life - it drowns out the deafening silence.
Myself, I am more of an outcast. I never saw the profit in being a "sports fan" other than to watch an occasional game and appreciate the talent involved. Hitching your wagon to some sports star, however, seems like a waste of time, particularly, if, later on, they later turn out to be bigots, wife-beaters, criminals, or just failures in life. The rabid fans will still support them even then.
Like I said, it is some perverse human instinct to elevate one of our own above us. We may live in squalor and hardship, but perhaps we live vicariously through the glamorous lives of our rulers and "betters." As the Monty Python bit above illustrates, you can tell who the King is, because "he doesn't have shit all over him."
But this elevation of our "betters" goes on in everyday life. In the military and the corporate world, you have a bifurcation between "enlisted men" or "hourly employees" and the "officers" or "salaried employees" and never the twain shall meet. "Fraternizing" between the classes is deemed a crime or will get you fired. And in both cases, the hard-boiled "Sergeants" or "Foremen" act as a buffer between the classes - taking orders from above and then forcing the lower class to execute them.
And as I noted before, woe be to the lower-class person who "works their way up the ranks" to become an Officer or a Salaryman. You will never really be accepted by the muckety-mucks, and you will find your welcome worn out with your former peers. You become a man without a country.
Humans are weird, no?
Of course, as a top dog, you always have to watch your back, as someone is always vying for your position. And the hoi polloi are always ready to turn on you at a moment's notice. A cheering crowd can become an angry mob overnight. This can be a problem particularly when the lower classes are suffering and the upper crust seems to have it too good - and is not being discreet about flaunting their wealth.
There is much talk about income disparity these days, and the idea that the very wealthy are "hoarding" wealth and sapping the strength of the middle-class. As I noted when I started this blog, these super-wealthy didn't take out money away, but rather, we gave it to them, with our blubbering thanks. How many people paid top dollar for a Tesla, waiting a year or more for delivery - and told "tough shit" when parts fell off? Tesla has slashed prices as other makers get into the business - and an EV price war is in the making. Many early buyers are "upside-down" on their cars now, as they rapidly depreciate. The real value of these vehicles is now revealed - and the folks who bought these cars early on merely lined the pockets of Tesla shareholders - one shareholder in particular.
They didn't "take our money away" - we gave it to them. Decrying wealth inequality with a Facebook posting is the same deal. You are putting a penny in a Billionaire's pocket with every posting you make - maybe even ten cents. And those pennies add up!
But like I said, it is human nature, I guess, to worship the upper classes. After all, entire countries, such as Great Britain, are founded on this idea. I cannot fathom the idea of referring to someone as "Lord" this or "Baron" that, but they do it. And we do it too, we just don't have formal titles, is all.
Maybe the tide is turning. Maybe too much wealth is accumulating in the hands of a few. And handing out an "award" to the likes of Elon Musk or Rupert Murdoch in the name of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the ultimate Marie Antoinette moment. Are the going to let those rich white guys get their grubby little hands on an award designated for women's achievements? (Perhaps Musk and Murdoch gone "trans" on us)
Let them eat cake. We all know how that worked out.
