“Fame is empowering. My mistake was that I thought I would instinctively know how to handle it. But there’s no manual, no training course.” - Charlie Sheen

Fame is a very loosely defined term and can be brought about by a variety of things. You star in a movie, you make a funny YouTube video, you could have a good blog on Tumblr, write a famous novel, or be a part of some wild scandal. No one every said that fame needed to be a positive thing. We’ve all seen how it’s torn apart actors like Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan, and though some realize their mistakes, it takes others to their downfall. It may start off all good and dandy, but some people cannot handle the fame. Having people constantly talking about you and criticizing you certainly is not easy and plus there is the pressure to produce and excel. For others, there is an extreme pressure to stay relevant. A prime example of this is the beloved Truman Capote.

Ever since a little boy, Truman had been known for his rambunctious and flamboyant ways. Regardless of whether this was a cover up for the feelings of abandonment brought on by his neglectful mother… to this day that is his personality. In school, though he never tried, he was very intelligent and popular. He always had a lot of friends and was the center of attention. His writing truly brought him to a whole new level of attention, when his first short story “Miriam” was published in a magazine. A series of other works led to his time in the limelight and eventually a huge ego. Truman even hosted his own “Black and White Ball”, claiming that only anyone who was anyone could get in. Capote knowing he had complete control would even taunt his potential guests with a “Well maybe you’ll be invited, and maybe you won’t.” Really? These people were supposed to be his friends, but the attention got straight to his head. Moving on, after Capote’s great success “In Cold Blood” (which has been made into several movie adaptations on different aspects of the book) was when he truly began to fall. He never finished another book after that. He had a terrible case of writer’s block and of course the alcoholism did not help. Truman released a few chapters in magazine along with some other things. These… “other things” would include the deep secrets and confessions of his high society friends. He sold out his friends for a few dollars, some attention, and a spot in a magazine. His struggle to stay relevant continued right up until he lost all of his friends.

Truman Capote was, in lack of better terms, a sell-out. Unfortunately, selling-out is not too uncommon nowadays. The sad thing is that everyone is just so obsessed with being noticed and being liked that they will do anything just to keep themselves in the spotlight. It is actually pretty pathetic. Also, with all this selling-out everything becomes the same. Either society is seriously lacking a sense of originality or we are all too scared to switch up the program. Music is one of the worst, I repeat, WORST and most common place were sell-outs lurk. For example, my all time favorite band “Forever the Sickest Kids” were in my opinion, absolutely incredible. They are (were) an alternative band, that now focuses on (was taken over by) Pop music. Before, their lyrics were meaningful and now the lyrics are repetitive and pointless. I just don’t understand it. Why fix something if it’s not broken? They were beyond amazing before and now it’s somewhat depressing listening to them and hearing how much they changed. Even if they got a higher spot on the “Top 40”, they have lost some old fans in the process. Truman Capote’s name may have stayed in the news for a little bit after telling all those secrets, but at what cost? He lost all of his friends and in the end, everything else.

The moral of the story kids, is DON’T SELL OUT. You won’t win anything in the end.

Forever The Sickest Kids (then) - BREAKDOWN vs. FTSK (now) - WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME