You're Not the Boss of Me

The United States of America is a nation founded on the principal that we are all created equal. When the Pilgrims left England to settle in the new world, they acted out of indignation at being treated as inferiors by the king whom they saw as a man no different from any of them. Generations later, the patriots fought the same fight against a new king. Both groups refused to accept one man's judgment on how they should live their lives. Neither believed that a ruler could be superior to them merely because he was of royal birth. When the rest of the world automatically bowed down to the ruling class, those who founded this nation dared to question the authority. No one, they said, should rule simply because he is born into a certain family; out of this, America was conceived. The Founding Fathers wanted to live in a place where there was no "ruling class". In old Europe, kings and queens influenced popular opinion, created fashion trends, and captivated the attention of millions. In America today, the red carpet once walked by monarchy is now the property of movie stars and talk show hosts. Faces in the media have filled the void in our culture left by democracy. Those in search of an idol need look no further than the Hollywood Hills. Yet even as we are awed by them, we are deeply uncomfortable with their presence, realizing that as we are able to look up to them, they are able to look down on us. We want to believe that we are all equal, but are some more equal than others? As years pass, we become more and more obsessed with knocking idols off of their pedestals. I believe that this attitude is reflected very clearly in the slowly morphing behavior of the New York Times towards media moguls.