GRE issue essay practice

Some may argue that a country’s obsession with celebrity increases as citizens find themselves more in need of distraction from war and economic strife. Unfortunately, such generalization does not work in all circumstances. Countries face different degrees of economic strife and involvement in wars, and therefore have differing needs for “distraction.” Also, different countries have different values, and therefore may not give celebrity as much distinction as another country would.

Before a country can begin to obsess over celebrity, its citizens must first be able to afford to distract themselves, which depends on the degree to which a country faces economic strife and war. In some countries, war and economic strife are part of every day life, but not so severe that its citizens are faced with it directly. This happens in the United States, which is notorious for its obsession with celebrity. Though some citizens face war in a very direct way (with loved ones serving in the armed forces), the general public can afford to distract themselves because the war is not being fought on their soil; they can go buy groceries without rationally fearing being killed by snipers. However, there are some countries that are so torn apart by war and economic strife (such as Sudan) that citizens of those countries must first ensure their own survival. They must constantly consider the source of their next meal and must ensure they are not killed by a landmine, for example, and any distraction could be fatal. Not every country is able to obsess over celebrity to distract itself from war and economic hardship, because some face those realities more directly than others.

Even if citizens of a certain country are able to distract themselves from the harsh realities of their world, they may not necessarily choose obsession with celebrity as a way to distract themselves because of cultural differences. A country can choose to obsess over celebrity only if it has media outlets available; citizens will have access to more and more information and can choose what they will obsess over. However, not all countries have the same freedom to gather and disseminate information as they choose (such as China, where citizens are restricted in the content they can access via internet); citizens may be more isolated to the rest of the world so obsession with celebrity may not even be able to take hold. Furthermore, citizens of a certain country may not even be interested in accessing information about celebrities because celebrity is not given the same value in every culture as it is in the United States.

Facing war and economic strife may not necessarily cause the augmentation of a country’s obsession with celebrity. Citizens first must be able to distract themselves from problems within their country, as some face war and economic strife more directly than others. Then, citizens must have access to more and more information, so obsession with celebrity can be fed a constant stream of information. Finally, obsession with celebrity can only occur when citizens place a high value in celebrity and therefore choose to obsess over it as a means of escape. If these three conditions are not met, it is unlikely that obsession with celebrity will increase.


the proceeding preceding (ok time to study vocab) was my response to an issue essay prompt. i took way too long on it. my brain seems like it is very slow today. maybe i need more rest.