Noblesse Oblige:The Oxford English Dictionary says that the term "suggests noble ancestry constrains to honorable behavior; privilege entails to responsibility". Being a noble meant that one had responsibilities to lead, manage and so on. One was not to simply spend one's time in idle pursuits.
Well, the United States of America doesn't have hereditary aristocracy, of course, but it does have a cult of celebrity which serves as a substitute; celebrities are fawned over and cosseted, their lives dissected in magazines and on TV shows for the masses to consume.
And yet, these celebs, unlike the hereditary aristocrats of old don't seem to understand the concept of Noblesse Oblige:
Alec Baldwin sics his twitter followers on an internet troll.
Spike Lee publishes what he thought was the address of Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman, not knowing (as if this matters) that it was the wrong address. What purpose is served by publishing the address, other than hoping that the mob lynches Zimmerman?
And now Roseanne Barr has committed the same offense that Spike Lee committed.
If you're going to enjoy great wealth, power and prestige in the US, the very least that we might expect is for you NOT TO SHIT ON THE PEASANTRY.
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