We've All Gone Gaga!

The 2010 TIME 100 list has recently come out and I personally feel it shows just how far we have come. The list is an accumulation of leaders, artists, icons or anyone really that are considered to be the most influential in the world. To be included on this is a great honor for anyone really, especially to be ranked # 1. In past years the # 1 most influential people have been individuals such as George W. Bush, Dalai Lama, Edward Kennedy, and various others. For 2010 the # 1 most influential person was Lady Gaga.

What does it say about our culture and ideologies that the most influential person to most is Lady Gaga....I don't think it says anything good at all. Our lives have become so consumed by media and image that I find myself wondering if we have really lost what is truly important in life. Don't get me wrong Lady Gaga's music is fantastic and extremely fun but is she something the ultimately governs what we do in life? Sarah Palin, Beyonce and Neil Patrick Harris all ranked above the Barack Obama, again I find myself simply wondering why? To me this simply shows how obsessed we are with fame and not with the world as a whole.

Outside of my personal influences (such as my parents) I believe that an influential person should be working towards a goal, be an inspiration for greatness or have created change for the better possibly? Not by being influential because of their obsession with fame (the reason behind Lady Gaga's greatness). Of course TIME has gotten around this by creating various TIME 100 lists for different categories (turning the most influential person into a popularity contest in my eyes). As great as the TIME 100 lists are I find it's really just become a fame list and is not longer as reputable as it once was. So, what influences you? Is it musicians? Politicians? Or maybe one of your professors? I am curious to know what it is that truly influences the people in my life.