By Choi Yearn-hong
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― A Virginia couple who crashed a White House party is still a hot topic in the U.S. media. The U.S. Congress is conducting a hearing, which will invite the couple to testify. The couple have been exposed by the media as social climbers without ``due credentials'' ― they are broke.
A bankrupt vintner's son and his wife have become a celebrity couple through gate-crashing the White House ― a pathetic couple seeking fame.
I don't care to read newspaper articles about sick people, because they reveal one side of human nature ― social climbers without due qualifications.
Some people like to show off their elevated social status through photos taken with famous individuals. A White House party can provide a fantastic photo opportunity for such a couple.
Such couples have existed from ancient regimes to modern times.
Fake aristocrats attempted to climb the social ladder in olden times. In modern Korea, there are some professors with fake Ivy League or elite college degrees.
I have seen one Korean in New York who shows a photo album, filled with photos of him with Bill Clinton and his wife during the former's presidential campaign in the city. Many Koreans were fooled by his glossy photos.
I read the sensational story of a college professor who showed a fake Yale University degree ― endorsed by fax ― in Seoul, but was later sent to prison. There have been many similar cases. Some were caught, and some were not ― this world is full of swindlers.
These days, they want to make quick money from their infamous or notorious ``celebrity'' status. The Virginia couple has been rumored to have been offered half a million dollars for their White House gate-crashing story. The power of celebrity status is real in this society.
Away from the White House, a couple of other stories raise interest. One is Sarah Palin's book tour for ``Going Rogue.'' She resigned as governor of Alaska in summer 2009 to maximize her fame from her nomination by the Republican Party as vice presidential candidate in 2008.
Various campaign stories elevated her to fame. She suddenly realized the power of being a celebrity, despite being unable to distinguish Africa as a continent or a country, after which she became a laughing stock.
She was an ordinary woman in the United States, but the party's vice presidential candidacy ― not her job as Alaskan governor ― has made her a household name.
Now, she is taking advantage of her celebrity status and has made millions of dollars from an advance from a decent publishing house in New York.
I want to see how far she will go. It will be hilarious if she becomes the presidential candidate of the Republican Party in 2012. Who knows? She may become the party's standard bearer.
American politics is institutionalized ― the office of the president is open to anyone elected. However, an average man or woman is unable to carry out the responsibilities of the nation's chief executive officer.
Under the leadership of such, the nation could collapse. The United States in the first 10 years of the 21st century was like hell after al-Qaida's attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the miscarried mission against the White House; and as a result, wars against terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq continue.
Invading Iraq did not make any sense, wasting great human and material resources. The Wall Street fiasco is still painfully visible. The nation is in limbo, and needs brilliant leadership inside the presidential office.
Why are the brightest and most brilliant men or women not in the top office of the nation?
I don't think an average man or woman can manage a bankrupt economy and foreign wars in South Asia and the Middle East at the same time.
Another celebrity hitting the headlines is Tiger Woods. So far 10 women have claimed that they slept with the billionaire golfer. Woods is now in the rough, surrounded by 10 women or more who ``sold'' their bodies to him.
I don't know whether he can get out of this tricky lie as quickly as he does on the golf course. Each woman is seeking the power of becoming a celebrity.
One woman made a deal; selling her story to a tabloid for $150,000. Woods offered her $1 million to keep her mouth shut. I am curious about her mathematics ― she wants the publicity more than the reward money for her own fame or pseudo-celebrity status.
Sex is always intriguing. Many modern men and women are curious about other people's sexual appetites and behavior.
The couple from Virginia, Sarah Palin and the women allegedly involved with Woods are all seeking fortune and fame. Their methods are all different. One couple intruded on a White House party. A woman from Alaska is selling her memoirs. At least 10 women are selling tales of their sexual encounters.
All are being exacerbated by media frenzies. The mass media is always seeking sensational stories from figures of notoriety. On the other side, I can see others trying to curb the current wave of attention; for example, the White House and Tiger Woods.
However, Sara Palin is enjoying her celebrity power, based on a less than excellent political performance, a so-so image and now selling her family affairs for all to see.
Dr. Choi is a retired college professor after a long teaching career in the United States and Korea. He can be reached at yearnhchoi@gmail.com.