•touchy feely•
By: Charles Rosenblatt
Tags: Essay, Culture, Celebrity, Comedy, Philosophy

i turned on a comedy special the other day, and, for their entrance, the comedian appeared from the back of the room (as opposed to appearing from stage right/left). they walked down the aisle, where nearly every aisle-seat arm was extended, in order to touch the comedian.

where does the desire to touch famous people come from? and why, when they are near, is that a seemingly natural reaction?

it happens at sporting events (basketball players emerging from the tunnel is the first sporting example that comes to mind, followed closely by the more rare phenomenon of pitch invaders), concerts (screaming, near-delirious fans reaching with everything they have in hopes of a skim, and when offered a hand from the singer, they melt), and when a celebrity is spotted on the street, there is surely a moment when the one to spot them thinks a hug might be in the cards.

where does this impulse come from?

have celebrities taken on messianic qualities?: to be touched by the hand of the celebrity is to be healed of all of our woes.

there is definitely a certain element of withholding which we feel towards certain public figures, which adds to the mystique (they are untouchable so we want to touch them: simple psychology: we want what we can’t have). there is a social contract which a person with celebrity (no matter how great or minute) agrees to when they become aware of their public status.

that isn’t to say that people agree to be touched (very far from it), or is it even an acquiescence to the acknowledgement that they might be touched upon public recognition, but it is certainly an acknowledgment of the reduction in the level of surprise which they may feel should an admirer venture to touch them (hug, hand shake: not speaking here of illicit acts). still not an allowance to approach.

it is saying that while i absolutely wish not to be touched (is that too much to ask for?), i can’t say that i am surprised by someone (fan, likely) who wants to reach out and touch me, because i know that that is something that now happens in our society. (its origination, likely a slow development over time—a waning level of boundary—i do not know.)

how does our society create individuals who desire not to touch the celebrity?

[re: messianic qualities: it is hard not to admit that certain celebrities, through no fault or intentionality of their own, have taken on the qualities of an icon, which may be substituted for a religious leader. it says much about the work that they do (whatever it may be: music, theater, literature, etc.) that they should attract such devout attention and cultivate such a faithful knower-ship. but the celebrity, as recorded by many a conversation, never sees themselves as an idol, or worthy of idolatry. but this doesn’t mean that in the eyes of the followers, the celebrity isn’t worthy.]

we shouldn’t feel the desire to touch someone we don’t know, regardless of celebrity, should we?

one theory is that by touching the celebrity, we have a more concrete, physicalized, experience with the celebrity, which transcends the experience of others who may have had similar experiences with the same celebrity. in that case, we are hunting for something unique.

but when humanized [the celebrity is touched by their family (significant other, parents, children), friends, colleagues, etc. through loving, familiar and amiable exchanges every day with no great or unique consequentiality] touching and wanting to touch the celebrity seems odd (possibly even absurd). it is also revealed not to be much of a unique experience.

when looking at who one might need to be for it to be acceptable to touch the celebrity, one who falls outside of that inner-sanctum can begin to feel that they’ve intruded.

another theory for the desire to touch a celebrity is a desire to have an impact on them, to be memorable. this is selfish and vain on the part of the aggressor. it is also a pipe dream, a total self-absorption.

there is also the theory that maybe the reacher and toucher think that they are doing the celebrity a solid. this is a mind game that neither toucher nor celebrity knows they are playing. the toucher thinks that the celebrity likes recognition, and therefore reaches out and touches them, to acknowledge that they recognize them as famous.

this, theoretically, makes the toucher feel like they’ve done something good (to reinforce what they think the celebrity already knows about themselves, or offer confidence to the celebrity), but does not have the same positive effect on the celebrity (touched).

i think that it is innocence, but not pure. nobody thinks about the reaching out and touching of the celebrity in the moment that it happens/is happening, as they walk by. it’s a totally innocent act, a callow act from a child begging attention, an act that goes un-acknowledged and unpunished because of its callowness.

anyone who has thought about what purpose the act of touching the celebrity as they walk by serves in their own lives, doesn’t expend the unnecessary energy.