I'm not sure where to post this, but since it has a BG tie-in...
Battlestar Galactica fandom has been through a rough experience recently. Most of us like the show and the stars, but I don’t think many (any?) of us “worship” them. A just-released study from Great Britain shows what can happen when this gets out of hand such as the case of one Mr. Milton James, IF he happens to be a real person rather than an amalgamation created by Ron Moore and paid advertising executives (or something equally sinister). I have added the notes in brackets.
From
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm...html?menu=news
ONE THIRD OF PEOPLE SUFFER FROM CELEBRITY WORSHIP
One in three people in Britain is suffering from Celebrity Worship Syndrome [CWS] after becoming obsessed with their screen idol [or evidently other celebrities, possibly even including script writers?, since Tony Blair, a politician, was included], according to new research.
Extreme sufferers of the newly identified condition admit they would lie, steal or worse if the object of their admiration asked them [doesn’t this sound vaguely familiar?].
Kylie Minogue, David Beckham and even Tony Blair are among the most popular celebrities idolised by participants in the study.
Psychologists at the University of Leicester carried out the research and found celebrity worship is not just for teenage girls or science fiction fans [Milton, anyone?].
They say CWS affected around 36% of the people sampled and one in four respondents was so obsessed with their idol that it affected their daily life.
The study of around 700 people aged 18 to 60 suggested there were three main dimensions to celebrity worship.
Low levels involved following a celebrity for entertainment and social reasons, chatting with friends and talking about the object of their admiration.
Intermediate levels were characterised by more intense and personal feelings, reflecting an individual's belief that they may have a special bond with the celebrity.
High levels were thought to resemble more social-pathological attitudes and behaviours that are held as a result of worshipping a celebrity.
Story filed: 08:27 Tuesday 13th May 2003
High level CWS?
