There are people who care about Brad and Angelina, and they admit it. They devour whatever information they can find on Brad and Angelina, they discuss B and A with their friends, etc. And, there undoubtedly are people who really, honestly, don't care about Brad and Angelina. Finally, there's a third (very large) group, the people I want to talk about here: People who don't admit to themselves or others that they care about Brad and Angelina, but who would actually be thrilled if Brad or Angelina were to, say, call them up just to chat. In all likelihood, you, reader, are a member of this third group.
So, why do you have such contradictory ideas about these celebrities? If you aren't curious about this, you really should be. This is a great example of something we don't pay much attention to: believing something and not believing it at the same time, and it's right there in your own mind. This is pretty much what George Orwell called doublethink, the capacity to hold two contradictory propositions in your mind and not bother much about the contradiction.
For Orwell, doublethink wasn't a good sign. In his novel 1984, doublethink occurs as people abandon their ability to think independently. Doublethink is an indication that you are willing to deny what you know to be true.
Of course, there is no Big Brother. But it is curious to think about the fact that, say, you dislike violence but love to watch it on television shows. You know that your happiness has nothing to do with your possessions, but there are a lot of things that you would really, really like to possess. You know that stable relationships are based not on fantasies but on things like trust and problem-solving skills, but you also regularly fall into wild romantic yearnings for people you know at best slightly.
But none of these contradictions matter, though, do they? People can watch some TV, buy that convertible, develop a crush on their tennis instructor, what's the harm? Well, I suppose that to the extent we do not understand our own values, we might find our lives somewhat unfulfilling. And I guess it is true that sometimes those crushes do lead to painful messes, even broken families. And, come to think of it, this barely scratches the surface of the ways in which people in the most prosperous and comfortable situation in human history often seem confused and discontented. So, maybe it does matter in some way...I'm sorry, I've wandered from Brad and Angelina. Next time, I promise.
Peter Stromberg is the author of Caught in Play: How Entertainment Works on You (2009, Stanford)
