Celebrity Headlines - Give Me a Break!

In my search for interesting news articles on Yahoo, I realized I was bumping into the same celebrity headlines over and over again, whether it be Katy Perry debuts dramatic new hairstyle or Stars' posh kitchens match their styles or Stars step out in the same minidress. What really got to me was that for every three or four articles I saw on celebrities, sports games, and other useless and irrelevant information, I saw about one article on important issues, such as the article titled U.S. agents helped launder drug money and another one with the headline: Iran brings down U.S. drone.

Now maybe it's just me, but I couldn't care less about Katy Perry's new hairstyle. Who cares if she dyed her hair pink? So what? And who would even bother read an article about two celebrities wearing the same dress? Does it matter? Does it at all pertain to the serious issues facing America today? How can people find these things interesting? I've worn the same shirt as somebody else numerous times, and nobody writes a front page article on me. Why are celebrities so special? How is it not an outrage that as the world's financial system hangs on a thread and a war with a Iran seems imminent, people go online and read articles about celebrities and their "posh kitchens"?

I hope this isn't perceived as a rant, but I can't seem to comprehend the nonsensical interests of so many Americans. I mean, how is it that only about 37% of the eligible population voted in the 2010 elections? And yet Americans (and people all over the globe) seem so intent on finding out the latest hairstyle of a celebrity that the media hires hundreds of reporters to find these things out and write about them.

I found an interesting article that can be read here about people's obsession with celebrities. It does a fantastic job going over celebrities and how people tend to treat them. First, we build them up and get interested in their personal lives. We follow their every move and begin idolizing them, painting them as gods of some sort. In the end, some scandal tears them down, and we realize they were human all along, only to jump to the next celebrity. Apparently, this is the sort of cycle that appeals to Americans. In my opinion, it's an outrage, and when I hear people talking about this stuff, I fear for humanity.

What do you think? Am I overreacting or is this obsession really as ridiculous as I put it out to be?