Boy in Balloon

Why Americans are willing to do terrible things to be famous

Brynne and Clair Odioso—who are twins—now have a claim to fame.

Although the episode of Fear Factor in which they each drank a big glass of donkey semen was cancelled, and although the network told them to remain silent about what they did, the story leaked and made international news.The Odioso twins can now join Balloon Boy and Octomom and Kate Gosselin and every “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” ever as poster children for how being preposterous can bring instant notoriety.This would just be a cautious tale about two foolish twins, were it not increasingly the story of our society. Being “famous”—a part of the show, if you will—is now what millions upon millions of people care about, and they’ll do what they have to do to satisfy themselves—in whatever bizarre or anemic ways they deem acceptable—that they are on the road there.I have been warning about this trend as the single, greatest threat to our culture for years. It is a true scourge. It is a psychological epidemic that is virulen...

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