Chapter 2 - Section IV-VI Summary and Analysis

Section IV begins by comparing celebrities and heroes. Boorstin claims that heroes create themselves, whereas the media is responsible for creating celebrities. Heroes became more concrete and revered with the passage of time. By contrast, the celebrity is always contained within the present and requires a constant stream of publicity and pseudo-events to maintain celebrity status. Many celebrities have regulated the flow of publicity and image dispersal in order to maintain their status over a longer period of time. In addition, the personality quirks of celebrities are often their distinguishing characteristics and therefore need to be nurtured, creating a kind of false self.

Section V discusses the exploits of Charles Lindbergh, which in the eyes of Boorstin, were heroic. However, as Boorstin states, he fell prey to becoming a celebrity, which subsequently annulled his hero...