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  1. #21
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    Because people are a herd-type mammal, the most succesfull member of the herd will automaticly get the most mates and produce the most offspring.

  2. #22
    Herald of the Titans RicardoZ's Avatar
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    Sports stars are seen as the alpha-males because of their impressive physiques and athleticism, that one's pretty obvious.

    Celebrities are seen as the summation of all of our intellectual and artistic aspirations.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by RicardoZ View Post
    Sports stars are seen as the alpha-males because of their impressive physiques and athleticism, that one's pretty obvious.

    Celebrities are seen as the summation of all of our intellectual and artistic aspirations.
    This made me giggle

  4. #24
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    No clue, since I don't care about spots and celebrities. I mean ok, sports as a game is nice to watch sometimes... but I don't give a shit about X player that married someone or did something. And certainly I don't care about celebrities, I mean, sure, sometimes word about what they've done gets to me because stupid people spread what some so called celebrity has done. But when they start to tell me about it, I generally start to get annoyed since I don't care and don't want to know all the bullshit. To me, the information about what X celebrity has done is useless! They do nothing useful to me or humanity, I am not friends or related to them and don't know anyone who is, therefor, why should I care?

    If anything, I want to hear about a doctor performing an impossible surgery, fire fighters saving people, some person overcoming a major obstacle in their life etc. These things make me happy for those people in a way. Celebrities in general just make me bored or annoyed, especially since there's always drama involved. There's enough drama in real life, I don't care about their fake dramas.

  5. #25
    Stood in the Fire
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    This always happens. I leave a thread after it dies within two hours then it blows up. Why?

  6. #26
    I am Murloc! crakerjack's Avatar
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    Why have people been attracted to sports? Well because humans are naturally competitive and we had to create some types of games that didn't involve beating each other to death. Soccer has been around for a LONG time and there were plenty of sports before that. Kids that watch LoL tournaments are just as competitive as kids in 1000 AD who played sports... only difference is the kids now are doing it digitally. As far as girls chasing celebrity hair cuts, that's always been around since people have had power over others. Each person wanted to look like the rich of their country.
    Most likely the wisest Enhancement Shaman.

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Basemath View Post
    The psychological reason that drives the obsession is self-confirmation. It's pretty much a process that starts at a young age. It is why between grown ups you often hear shit like "I can't for the love of god get into Football," or "I can't bring myself to care." In your case, for example, with Metal. I hazard your love for metal began ways back? So to keep identifying yourself as a metal-head, to self-confirm, the obsession only grows stronger. We might not realize we're doing it, but we constantly affirm to self-confirm.

    Also those people you try to convince that metal is the best genre, they're never really convinced, are they? Something else is already the 'best' for them. Just came across this quote from Churchill, "a fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." It's already too late to convince them. Too late to convince you
    I'm a little late to answer but my obsession of metal only began when I was 14, almost 15. I am 17 now, 18 in March. The odd thing is, I don't have an obsession over the music(I still fucking love metal! Even the actual material I am slightly obsessed with). So I am thinking that due to my limited social skills I use it as a social outlet. And then from there it has to do with what you described. 4 years a metalhead is more than enough to become subconsciously obsessed I suppose, lol.

    Actually, writing this, I wonder if there is more to it. Is my metal obsession and possibly people's desire to talk about celebrities part of a desire to show others our experiences if they make us happy? For a long while, by some means Metal was the only thing keeping me from becoming too depressed, but at that time I also became the most obsessed with Metal, always trying to prove it is best when I could. Fuck it, writing this post is just driving too many new thoughts. I'm going to end of writing some 5,000 word post on hypothetical human psychology.

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    Quote Originally Posted by crakerjack View Post
    Why have people been attracted to sports? Well because humans are naturally competitive and we had to create some types of games that didn't involve beating each other to death. Soccer has been around for a LONG time and there were plenty of sports before that. Kids that watch LoL tournaments are just as competitive as kids in 1000 AD who played sports... only difference is the kids now are doing it digitally. As far as girls chasing celebrity hair cuts, that's always been around since people have had power over others. Each person wanted to look like the rich of their country.
    Soccer use to be more dirty than Hockey or Rugby, lol.

  8. #28
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    Jack Gleeson had a wonderful talk about this at Oxford (I think?). Go find it on youtube!

    To think that Joffrey Baratheon, first of his name, hates celebrity culture, Lol

  9. #29
    The Lightbringer Calzaeth's Avatar
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    I enjoy watching skill. Nothing is more engaging to me than watching someone do something well, especially if I know for a fact that they are lightyears better than me. So that is why I watch sports, of any kind (almost). The reason I pick favourites varies from sport to sport. Sometimes I simple prefer their way of playing, sometimes I like their off-stadion attitude, and sometimes they represent Norway (You guys were waiting for the last one. ADMIT IT!). But I'd never be able to cry over losing a game, though. I don't judge people who do, because that seems to be more of a national culture-thing than anything else.

    Celebs? Just like sports, I keep a tab on those I enjoy the work of, and those whose attitude/demeanor I agree with. And I also like trivia, which is why I sometimes know weird facts about them.
    If you add me on Steam, Skype or whatever program/client I share my info for, please write something to identify you in the "Dude/gal wants to join your club"-message. Just so I know that an actual human is on the other end :P

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ralikon View Post
    Pretty much what the second poster said, it's success. And a lot of us envy success, even if it isn't with a celebrity or any person in particular. If you've ever played a MMO or any game that enables you to rise above others and then brag to them about your accomplishments, you'll see that you've done it. Take minecraft for example; say you're playing by yourself and you create a massive beautiful building, you'll want to show others what you created! Of course, not everyone is like this and as such, not everyone is "sports and celeb obsessed". So people will see your beautiful building and envy it and want to create it themselves! Not all will, because most people who are like this will move on to the next piece of art that is envious, and will become a person who is enthralled in the works of others.

    And that's the cycle, envying someone for their success isn't necessarily a bad thing if it inspires you to rise up and conquer your goals just as they did. But not all take that path, and the envying of success turns in to them feeding off of it. Almost everyone has some sort of ambition, it's just some get so into others and how great that person is, they're ambition is just sucked dry

    Thinking back, I bought Minecraft just so I could rebuild my best structures on a multiplayer game. I come up with what I deem to be a good structure and then go build it in multiplayer. It's like you said. Success. I guess I just wanted worship of my "grand" acts and accomplishments.

  11. #31
    There is no great mystery behind this, its all defined by Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Specifically speaking, we are at the belonging and self esteem levels. We may love a celebrity to simply be the one to know the most about them or to be like them one day or find comfort on a deeper level knowing that these seemingly "perfect" people have faults too. Which brings us back to the point of self esteem.

  12. #32
    Dreadlord Fiana's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shemsu Hov View Post
    What physiological reason drives our sports and celebrity obsession?
    Purely animal survival instinct. If you follow the more successful specimen you have statistically higher chance to survive.

    In human world success has nothing to do with survival or common sense, but your instinct still works this way. The more primitive you are the more powerful is this instinct, for more intellectually developed people this instinct is less distinctive.

  13. #33
    I would say social unity.

  14. #34
    Titan Sorrior's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fiana View Post
    Purely animal survival instinct. If you follow the more successful specimen you have statistically higher chance to survive.

    In human world success has nothing to do with survival or common sense, but your instinct still works this way. The more primitive you are the more powerful is this instinct, for more intellectually developed people this instinct is less distinctive.
    I lack it almost entirely LOL.

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