Description
In George Packer’s 2013 essay for The New York Times, he discusses how in times where the gap between the rich and the poor widens, celebrities loom larger on the social horizon than they have in more equitable times, overshadowing the rest of us. Packer explores the reason and impact of this and what this all reflects about who has access to the American Dream. To see how Packer makes his argument, please complete the following by answering the questions, finding one passage for support, and explaining how the passage supports your answer:How does the author describe the evolution of the celebrity from the 1920s to the post World-War II era to today? What do you think accounts for the changes in the celebrity culture?What does Packer mean when he asserts that today a celebrity “evolves into a person, then a brand, then an empire, with the business imperative of grow or die”?Why does Packer consider today’s celebrities their own superclass?What relation does Packer find between the plethora of celebrities today and economic conditions?Why does Packer say that America today is returning to the ethos of the Jazz age (or perhaps, becoming even worse)?