Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Folk Devil as Celebrity


Daniel Boorstin said celebrities are people who are "known for their well-knownness."

The misinformation, rumor, and folklore surrounding the few iconic terrorist folk devils suggests that they are known less for their real actions or biographies and more for the publicity that surrounds them. Bin Laden's position in the pop culture landscape is little different from other controversial, reclusive celebrities who maintain a devoted following--and many angry critics--despite fairly limited recent output.

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