Aw raht, Karen takes off the gloves and hits it on the nose.
Maybe lady g thinks she rocks, but no, KARENZ DOES!!
Keep the hits comin’ Karen.

Remind me never to piss you off (am I allowed to write that on a Christian site?). You go girl!

You said what I have felt since I saw the Gaga Monster the first time.

Can we just leave it at entertainment? Why do you need to over analyze it? I’m not even a fan but give me a break- she isn’t changing my morals any time soon because of her latex jump suits. Just turn off your tv. Thats what everyone else does when theres something on that they dont want to watch.

Interesting. You make some claims in here that people aren’t who they seem, only after your dollar, a puppet of their marketing machine. Welcome to real life, the real world. It seems, to me, that the message would be strong enough, regardless of the vehicle of delivery. Which is exactly what religious people would have you believe. We’re supposed to disregard people like the “sinner priests” of the Catholic Church, Tammy Fay Baker and all the others who have profited from spreading “the Good Word.” And we’re supposed to denounce those who are actually spreading messages of actual empowerment.

But it’s sure easier to aim at a target like Lady Gaga without reaching into your own depths and rooting out those demons. I guess it’s all in the audience you want to reach, and hope no one shines a light in your direction.

Nick:
You might have a point had you not addressed your criticisms about disregarding people like those who have profited from the spreading of the Good Word to me.

May I recommend you read The Preacher chapter in Will Jesus Buy Me a Doublewide?

Or how about The Redhead chapter?

Or perhaps you’ll find The Marine more to your liking?

Really. Pick any chapter.

I think you will soon see that my calling out of those spreading a false gospel isn’t limited to Lady Gaga.

I’m hardly singling her out. I’m just weary of having her pushed all up in my face.

She & Creflo Dollar have a lot in common.

Well someone’s in a grumpy mood.

Oh please, the only thing false here is this article and all these people who are hating on Gaga just because they aren’t as popular as her. Admit it, you’re sick of her because her message of self-acceptance and love is everywhere and you HATE IT! Stop to bigotry, stop the hate, little monsters will overcome!

Karen spears got the worst offer. Gaga offer words of love / encouragement. Not as ugly as u to humilate over gaga success. Gaga change the pops music industry wif her disco stick. What u got to do beside writing??? Lame

wow… i hope writing this made you feel better…. clearly you are a negative and hateful person who has wayyyyy too much time on their hands…. gagas music isnt aimed at you… you dont like it clear off and listen to sometin about how wonderful and merciful your god supposedly is! congratulations on writing a worthless and pointless article aimed at people who simply dont care…

were you born preachers’ you transformed to be one. don judge others be example of Jesus who never went on judging people but preached to them. what about all those immoral catholic priests who go on molesting kids, and pasters who eats church mmoney and impregnates his congragation.

You must be the most awful and angry woman Ive had the misfortune to stumble into on the entire world wide web.
Its typical, only Christianity can make you that hateful.
…and save your retorts because I ain’t comin back to check!

And yet if she took away the makeup and everything else she would still be amazing monster for life, I dislike people like you who are filled with hate and bad things to say keep your crap to yourself cause she ain’t going anywere

Someone want to translate this for me?

Is the inability to spell and form a coherent sentence a requirement for being a Gaga fan? Just curious.

Well, I did edit out some of the more vulgar words so that might have something to do with it — or as Teo might say: That mt have sumthin da do wid it.

Um, stfu. lady gaga is unique and powerful. She saved the music industry. No matter what she does, it will always be planned out and everything. Sure she wasn’t born with all that money. Though she earned it! So quit critizing her! I’m sure you would do whatever you could JUST TO KEEP PEOPLES INTEREST! That’s why yu make this articles to call people out! Just so you can get attention! Leave lady gaga alone and let her do her stuff! She never talked about you, so be the mature one and quit talking smack! Goodbye!

Not sure whether I should laugh or be horrified to read such thing. Another genius who, oh miracle, has demystified the great Gaga. Yeah, right.

Holy cow, it’s pathetic that you can whip yourself into such a frenzy over Lady Gaga.

You know, I hear that being full of bile is a hazard to your health–you might drown in it. I’d watch out for that if I were you.

Thank you. That really needed to be said and you said it very well.

Seriously, what a whiny story.

I stopped reading when you tried that terrible logic of “what if Stalin, Hitler and Polpot sang the chorus to Born This Way?”

News flash, genius: Being gay isn’t equatable to murdering thousands, if not millions of civilians. Does the chorus have to explain what’s inherently obvious to you? Should we change the chorus to this?

I’m beautiful in my way [as long as I don't shoot people]
‘Cause God makes no mistakes [provided I don't shoot people]
I’m on the right track, baby [because I'm not hurting people]
I was born this way [and I love not hurting others]
Don’t hide yourself in regret [unless you hurt people, then regret]

I just happened to run by this story on Google. Why do I find myself completely unsurprised that this kind of judgmental, anti-progressive, pessimistic, cynical, antagonistic drivel is syndicated on a site about religion. You’re so far behind the rest of the world on what’s important that it’s incredibly creepy.

You take someone who is sending a genuinely good message out to youth, and complaining that her shtick is a marketing fabrication. Well isn’t that just wonderful. Next thing you know, we’re saying charity work isn’t important because the people who do it are trying to get publicity… as if that changes the positive outcome in the slightest.

David:
For me it’s not about being gay and I’m not sure how you made that leap. My thoughts on gay are well-documented, so I suggest you do a little more research before you make your own judgmental comments about what I do or don’t believe, what I do or don’t practice, what I do or don’t say.

Speaking of cynical, I’d suggest that the #monsterfamily has its own fair share of acerbic attitude, if the comments posted are any indication.

I don’t see how Lady Gaga’s message is a good message. In nearly every interview I’ve ever seen with her, the thing she is doing most is promoting herself.

The message is clearly crafted to make her audience think she’s just like them, when she is in no way just like them (a ploy used by Hitler and his own brand of little monsters btw.)

If the Lady can get her audience to believe her lies — as she so clearly states herself — then she can get a mass following (Jim Jones is a classical example of this, too. Drink the Kool-aid.). This translates, naturally, to mass dollars in her bank account.

Listen to her.

She will repeatedly tell her audience I’m like you. I feel your pain. I know how you feel because I feel that way too. Free yourself. You are great.

Might I suggest you read The Narcissism Epidemic by Jean Twenge & Keith Campbell for a more in-depth look?

That’s if you are interested in real discourse.

It’s far more reaching than entertainment.

If you don’t like Lady Gaga don’t listen to her music, read news about her, watch her interviews, etc. You’re just jealous that she’s successful and all you can do is write hateful articles whining and complaining about things you have no idea about. Get a life. Seriously. Stop being so judgmental and negative. In case you weren’t aware, you don’t have to listen to Lady Gaga. No one is making you. And instead of being hateful just ignore her. I’ll give you an example. I don’t like Justin Bieber’s music, but I’m not gonna write an article full of hateful words and negativity. I just don’t listen to him. Goodness. You need to get a life.

What exactly is it you little monsters are overcoming???

Yes paws up (“)(“) for mother monsert!!!!!

Sure, Lady Gaga can be an attention whore, then again so can Karen Zacharias.

See what I did there?

Difference is, Lady Gaga tries to makes her fans feel unique and special while you make yours feel like crap. I hope this article achieved what you wanted it to, because I know I’ll be steering clear of your website from now on. But at least you got my
page view, right?

Wow. You’re pretty much a total failure as a journalist. You and your backwards, bigoted, racist friends can all go pray together. You’re the freaks dear.

The irony is thick here.

Me talk Tarzan…

Karen spears – you took the words right out of my mouth. some people think you are hateful but your not , your just stating it as it is.

Millions of unique #monsterfamily
And exactly what are you using your empowerment for? What have you done with all your millions — in dollars and numbers — to change or affect the world around you in a better way?
Are you building shelters in Haiti?
Are you starting a reading program in Harlem?
Or are you simply using your power of uniqueness to exhort yourselves and Lady Gaga?
If you want to earn some respect here, use your power to do something besides promote yourselves and Stephanie.

The irony here that is thick is that the one message Lady Gaga portends to purport is a message of anti-bullying and yet her #monsterfamily’s main discourse is one of verbal attack.

Yep. Sheer irony.

The reading of all these comments has been sheer entertainment! Apparently, all of Gaga’s Little Monsters are becoming furious beasts, frothing at the mouth and stumbling over one and another to launch verbal attacks … maybe you all need to listen to Gaga a little more to get her message of love… Lol!

You’re close, but she makes millions on her recordings alone. She has had at least five number one hits. The only thing the performances do are draw more attention to her, which I will admit she loves. The problem with this article is that she did nothing to warrant your hatred for her. You only dislike her because she is one of the most famous people in the world, and has it all. And i doubt you’ve ever met her, so how is that you can make such personal judgments. This article is baseless and is a huge joke.

I definitely agree. People are inspired by her, and she loves fans. Literally, at least once in every interview, she mentions fans. And people could stop paying attention to her if they wanted to, but they don’t. She’s too much to watch. Basically we should just never express ourselves, and keep to conservative lifestyles is what this article is saying.

Somebody please explain to me why the assumption is that people want to be famous….

RE: having it all?

She’s 25 years old.

Stephanie hasn’t begun to have it all.

And until you and her #monsterfamily learn the wonder of being ordinary, you won’t ever have it all either.

Or at least when you do, you won’t recognize it.

Robert: That is not at all what the article is saying. There is nothing, I repeat nothing, in this article that advances a “conservative” agenda.

What the article is addressing is the sheer exploitation of Lady Gaga — how her message is crafted by a multi-million marketing machine to manipulate the masses.

And it appears to be working …

hahahahaha this person (spears and i suppose its cause she or he is a britney fan) needs to stop hating! you dont know anything about gaga! you know who is fake? katy perry,nicki minaj, britney spears, kesha! those are fake

I think Manny pegged it, Karen – this post is because you’re a Britney fan! Wow, you’ve had me fooled all along!

Im almost ashamed to be posting here bc I don’t want to give your dribble anymore attention. However, you are a hateful attention seeker and I needed to tell you so. What a loser and poor writer you are, to have to get attention by running someone else into the ground. GROW UP.

I’m glad someone is finally saying it. Lady Ca-Ca is Madonna on crack. Her “message” is nothing more than tricked out, boiler plate, narcissism parading as “self acceptance.” I feel like her latest music should be the soundtrack for “The Secret” a made for TV movie. Her music is neither original nor very good. RedOne and Rob Fusari made this mass-marketed monster. Hedonism does not a message make and playing up religious controversy is seriously old hat. Ozzy did THAT already only, a million times better. And Madonna….already deconstructed when she ripped Express Your Way.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhah
(gasp)
“…Her disco stick…”
(gasp)
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Yeah, I loved that one, too or another favorite… “She saved the music industry.” I think I threw up a little bit in mouth on that one. lol!

Because you just can’t believe that there is someone of her fame that honestly cares about her audience. I don’t know who to feel sorry for – us readers for your uninspired and misguided article or YOU for your cynicism and disillusionment.

Karen,

Your original article and replies add up to the representation of a person that I am glad I do not personally know. When I read your words I feel a weight. I do not know where it comes from, whether it is fueled by pessimism, hate, dissatisfaction, a desire to claw at others, or just old fashion bitchiness, but it is not the type of outlook that anyone should have to constantly deliver. Whether you enjoy a certain celebrity or not, they always seem to come. There will always be someone to draw our attention, there will always be someone to talk about. The most wonderful thing about your article is that you are a part of it all. She draws attention more than any other celebrity right now. She even draws your attention. You feed her goal. Your cutting words are exactly the sort of thing she has lived off of for so long. You have written about Lady Gaga, and now you are a part of her machine. Congratulations Karen & Welcome to it.

How exactly is that entertainment? Repulsion doesn’t go hand in hand with entertainment. Not questioning your morals but those of us who have them don’t want to see this kind of garbage. We have to be very careful about what we allow into our spirits because what goes in does come out.

So in your book, the $160 million dollars she’s helped to raise for HIV and women’s health awareness through the Mac campaign that donates 100% of profits has no value? How much have you in your piety raised? Have you inspired millions of dollars to be put toward a charity? How about the $80,000 she donated toward homeless kids programs and the 30,000 hours of community service that were generated as a result of her free concert idea were of no value? The $500,000 she donated to charities working in Haiti in 2010? (http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/1944-lady-gaga)

Let’s see a comparison, dollar for dollar, of how much of a difference YOU make compared to others, celebrity or otherwise, casting first stones (or aspersions) and whatnot.

Btw I am ambivalent about Lady Gaga herself, or her music for the most part (I’m certainly not a little monster fan) – but with a post like this I can’t see through the typical blogger hubris regardless of the target, where from your self-aggrandized vantage point you think you have it all figured out about people different than you, particularly those you do not know or who get more attention than you. The fact is, this person/marketing machine that you clearly dislike has inspired more people on a very personal level to lift their heads up and feel a little better about themselves, and in turn to help others (see the 30,000 hours of community service), than you will likely inspire in a lifetime. How many people do you inspire with your holier-than-thou approach to life?

Is Lady Gaga a narcissist? Absolutely. The entertainment industry of our world is founded on it – in fact it’s a prerequisite to get “in”. Is she a regurgitation of Madonna and the like? Definitely – every pop artist is, and always will be. Is she concerned with making money? You only state the obvious on that one. But does she do good with her celebrity? Does she inspire others to feel better about themselves and make a difference? I’d say yes, if her results are any indication.

And by the way, somebody must have forgot to shout loud enough over your ranting to explain that pulling out the “Hitler” card is an automatic lose in every argument. Making comparisons to a celebrity with a person responsible for the murder of 50 million people – directly or indirectly – is hardly rational, and wreaks of a bitter person desperate to make a point. It doesn’t sound like “something Jesus would do” at all. Personally my guess is Jesus wouldn’t bother with such trivialities, and would focus on making people’s lives better through positivity and example.

While I must admit some people on here go to far with their words, others I believe are only questioning your motifs, agendas and credibility. Which is understandable.

Not verbally attacking you. One thing is to bully where as another is to defend.

I am a fan of hers and the thing of it is, an audience that isn’t so passive realizes that Gaga’s persona is what it is, gaga.

She’s not supposed to make coherent sense, or even be taken too seriously. Sure it’s irritating that she and many others, market her as original but the truth of the matter is she may not be what she claims, and thats okay.

She’s, whether done purposely by the market or not, reinvigorated the imagination of pop culture and that in turn might lead to new stars (whether underground or not) who are far more original than gaga. And that’s all that matters.

Until that time, I’m okay with paying for her CD or watching her videos; every other artist out right now just pales in comparison. (excluding the greats and the classics)

Why does it have to be marked up to either hate, dissatisfaction, a desire to claw at others or general bitchiness? None of which characterizes the piece or me. Well, okay, sometimes I’m bitchy but generally speaking I’m a fun chick. And humor marks the piece — it just happens to be humor that apparently takes a POV that you don’t agree with. But, holler, I can’t turn on a radio or a TV these days without having Lady Gaga’s outrageousness all up in my business. I’m just pointing out the same thing King Solomon does — there is nothing new under the sun. Lady Gaga’s message is not new. Her “art of fame” as she likes to call it, is nothing more than Madonna & Ozzy’s Goodwill donations. Yawn…
That so many don’ t understand that this is nothing more than Wall Street pimping out a 25-year-old, replete with a multi-million marketing armory is what surprises me most. What are all y’all smoking?

Stay strong Karen! The little monsters are indeed showing their true colours! Perhaps one day they will wake up to the truth that life isn’t really about them anyway, even if GaGa keeps telling them it is.

By motifs — I assume you mean motives?
I am so glad as a fan you cleared up that sticky point — She’s not supposed to make coherent sense — Oh. Okay. I get it. I think. Being senseless is part of her motif and her motive?

I’m shocked to discover that kids these days idolize singers that shock/offend/piss off their elders. That has never happened before.

Karen,

Your gut level way of stating your opinion is awesome. Unfortunately it’s not just Gaga but the entirety of her message and what she represents, herself. There is no real talent there but she reeks of empty sensationalism. There is nothing new or genuine about her, her music, her message or the sad way she chooses to perform.

Jeremy: Is that $160 million from her pocketbook or part of yet another advertising campaign in which her fans buy said product and said company donates XX amount of dollars to designated charity? And while 30,000 hours of donated hours seems impressionable, I know people who donate their entire lives toward serving others, at their own financial and physical peril.

And frankly, feeling better about oneself is a transitory state.

I think the best way to feel better about oneself is to not worry about whether you are great or unique or special. The best way to feel better about one’s self is to serve somebody — as Bob Dylan, and the Jesus before him, once said.

First of all this is an extremely aggressive and mean spirited article for both Gaga and her ‘monsters’, but I cannot get over the RACISM among other things in this text. But again, the hatred within the text is stifling, you must really love crushing peoples sense of self. But this has become much more severe when you claim “Most of you are white people. You don’t have a clue what it means to be in bondage, or to live out your life in servitude”. Well listen up Karen Spears and listen up good. I am white like most people in my country and we (yes, we WHITE people) were once conquered and needless to say not treated well. Not only does this show your severe ignorance it is also a massive slap in the face to my WHITE ancestors. Also let me make one thing very clear I don’t care what colour you skin is you have NO idea what slavery is like; (very regretfully) your poor ancestors did, but YOU don’t. Your colour is not a passport for pity and I thing its very damming Karen that you say that it is.

Does she ever say its new? I think you and Gaga share the point of view that she isn’t inventing anything at all. From the interviews that I have seen or read she has been very open about her inspirations from Bowie, to Blow, to Madonna, to Prince. Is it yawn? Perhaps you think so, but others must not. It would be quite easy to say that Michael Jackson looks like he lost one of his stupidly bedazzled gloves and that he is nothing more than an attention seeking he/she/black/white. It is always easy to flame others. People have always done it and always will. She is a part of a business. That is a given. I think what YOU don’t understand is what churned out stars actually look like. They don’t write their own music, they don’t direct their own videos, they don’t really do a whole lot of anything…including sing. I do think she is raking it in, and obviously spending it back out. I do think her companies are overjoyed at their income, and to NOT spend millions to market her further would be stupid. What is it you are really saying? That BAD business sense should be used?

Just pointing out that she is a 25-year-old who, no matter how sincere her message may seem, has a lot in common with the prosperity gospel pimps. Appealing to the masses need for significance and selling them a false gospel in the process.
It’s more than entertainment.
It’s a false theology.

You sound like my husband.

Lucy: Just so we are clear here — I’m not only white, I’m a (bottle) blonde blue-eyed Hillbilly Melungeon.

Bah. Its music. Its entertainment. There is no promise for an afterlife. She sells something tangible and people buy it. McDonald’s used to say “We Love to see you Smile.” It doesn’t make it a false gospel if I don’t.

You’re reaching.

You had to invoke Godwin’s Law. I was with you right up to that point.
Shame.

Lol! You mean you’re not black!?

Certainly feeling better about oneself is transitory. But it’s a step in the direction toward helping others as almost anybody would admit if they were not caught up in their own feedback loop, and shouldn’t in my opinion be minimized because it lacks permanency. Is anything permanent? Is what you pray for permanent? Not as far as I know, but it has value regardless of whether its fleeting. It’s much easier to help others when you feel capable of doing so, even if that feeling is passing – a very easily provable point, and if you weren’t grasping at straws you’d know better than to argue.

On “from her pocketbook” or not, a) its typically a private matter what somebody else donates, and b) what difference does it make if you are on the receiving end in need, if the celebrity wrote the check out herself? $160 million dollars is $160 million dollars (how much have you donated through your blog? Private matter, right?), and using her celebrity by lending of that asset – her name – to a worthy cause has value in most people’s estimation. As far as others donating their entire lives – good for them, but its really kind of irrelevant what others do in this context isn’t it? She doesn’t claim to be Mother Theresa – she’s a star that includes positive change as part (small or not) of her offering. Don’t you think that bringing up the idea of the value of charity work in the context of attendees has value? And btw, those hours generated from that one event is _so far_. She’s 25, as you like to point out, and she clearly has a long road ahead of her. How much good will she do in the span of her life relative to you? I have a feeling that despite her shortcomings, her wide reach that includes, if only as one aspect, a positive message, will far outweigh your trivial blog post trying to destroy what good she has done so far.

I didn’t even know there was such a law. Learn something new everyday. I’ll blame it on the fact that I’ve been reading Eric Metaxas excellent book Bonhoeffer. Highly recommend it.

By your logic Meagan, we should turn off everything we don’t like. Maybe we shouldn’t do anything about nasty things that bother us. Maybe we shouldn’t worry about the idiot in North Korea who is starving his people so he can bluster about all the power he has. Maybe we shouldn’t watch the victims of flooding and tornadoes because that’s upsetting. Lots of us choose to get involved with what affects our society and our world.

I found this to be an interesting read.

I see the author here not lashing out against Lady Gaga personally, but rather expressing frustration at her fans ‘falling for’ her messages.

Now, when Lady Gaga first showed up, I was indifferent to her public persona. In many ways I still am. I am a fan of her music, and own quite a collection of her songs. Her public personna to me is nothing more then an interesting side show. Whether it is sincere or not can only be truthfully known by Lady Gaga herself, so arguing that is a moot point.

The author here argues that Gaga’s message is, by nature of being sold and being hypocritical, invalid. I don’t nessisarily agree with this.

A message of self affirmation isn’t invalidated by the source. Self affirmation, like all human emotions can be used for both good and ill, and it is up to the person who receives it what to do with it. Whether it comes from religion, a pop star, or a favored politician.

Lady Gaga’s fans are just like fans of any major pop star. Let then enjoy her antics, music, and message. Let Gaga make her millions. And let us affirm that even if Lady Gaga disappeared off the face of the planet, the message she is delivering, whether sincere or not, is still one that has been around for years. And it is a message that brings a bit more optimism to a dark world.

As someone who has lived as a cynical realist for years, I do find it nice to occasionally let a bit of self delusional optimism make my life a bit brighter.

Lucy, I have read through the comments and have found the terrible spelling simultaneously funny and sad. Worse than the spelling is the inability to form a sentence that makes sense. Truly, these are our nation’s future leaders and teachers?

But your paragraph about white slavery is beyond ridiculous, enough to make the bad writing above your comment look like Shakespeare (or at least Steven King). Your history is shaky, and the points you make with your inaccuracies are just silly.

As for this: “you must really love crushing peoples sense of self”, you have missed Karen’s point entirely. It’s because she cares about people’s sense of self that she is speaking out about the false message being preached by Lady Gaga. That message will only lead to a false sense of self and entitlement, and will ultimately do more harm than good to those who buy into it.

There’s absolutely no basis for your wild and hateful assertions. Remarkable for a “christian” publication.

Watching Lady Gaga just always makes me incredibly sad. I’ve never seen anyone who appeared more broken, lost or desperate in my life. I mean WHAT in the WORLD other than pure desperation could cause a person to present herself to the world in such a contrived way? And she’s preaching a philosophy that has never made anyone truly happy–the idea that we exist to exalt ourselves and that it’s all about us at the end of the day. And truly, the most distressing thing of all is the number of equally lost, impressionable young people who swallow the lie hook, line and sinker because they are dazzled by the glitter and the lights.

Fortunately for America–and unfortunately, for her–the show won’t go on forever, because most people who are that misled and wrapped up in themselves self-destruct in short order…(see LIndsey Lohan, Britney Spears, et al). I don’t wish it on her, or on anyone, but the likelihood is there.

When Lady Gaga’s appeal ends, what will become of her little monsters? On to the next one who “understands” them?

What makes me sad is the idol worship of someone so broken. And that her mother accompanies her on her appearances and appears proud. As the mother of 3 daughters, I would be mortified if this were my child.

Clearly you like labeling people. And if you don’t care, why are you bothering to post anything here?

Jake the opinions expressed here are my own and often fall far from the mark of what non-believers expect from Believers.

And in what way does she care about her audience? Because she says so? Does she personally help people in her audience? At a concert, does she sit down with the audience and talk to them about problems that they might be having, and offer assistance?
She may talk the talk, but she doesn’t walk the walk…except to the bank.

Yeah, I’m not really willing to affirm that message as anything other than hocus-pocus.

Oh wow; words fail me; you’ve said it all and I Thank you!

How far out does she want to take her fans?
Gene Simmon’s Kiss mixed vials of their own blood into the red ink used to color the blood for the first issue of Marvel’s KISS comic series. Frank Zappa got in an onstage gross-out contest with friend Captain Beefheart, in which Beefheart took a dump onstage and Zappa supposedly ate it.
Gaga wearing a “meat dress” during her acceptance of the Video of the Year award at MTV’s Video Music Awards is restrained compared to the above and others, however, as marketing goes if the show must go on look for Gag me Gaga to delve deeper into creative and original perversions as handed down to her by her master GOD’s adversary; Satan.

Ha! Wow. The woman who preaches about “little monsters” bullying her is in fact talking down to me. No I meant motifs. As in it reasonable to question the reoccurring themes/ideas in your articles that you preach to others about.

And yes that is apart of her whole image. If people don’t like it or want to acknowledge her guess what? Change the channel, turn off the radio, avoid articles regarding her (OR MAKING THEM) and shut her out completely. It’s as simple as that

You know now that I think about it, you’re saying none of us are great, are normal, and should just appreciate being “human.” Well what gives you the right to define what a normal human being should look or act or live like?

You may state that your normal and ordinary, but in fact if you thought so you wouldn’t be a blogger taking on such controversial subjects and media figures that are obviously going to garner more hits and comments for you. You’d be a mom who tries to keep to herself and enjoy her life with her family.

Your whole shtick reeks of hypocrisy.

I remember the first time when I saw the video of ‘bad romance’ (her first song that i was aware of), with all the over-the-top weird costumes and the plastic empty soulless sexuality, as if there’s no soul in her body. I found it scary and felt pity for her…

I do believe that’s she has a lot of talent. she writes a lot of her material herself and has influence of her image and videos. When she was here in Belgium on rock werchter last year she did play piano with her toes, people are still talking about it…

But all I thought when I saw that video was ‘This poor girl. she looks so empty. If only someone would give her a loving hug it would be a million times more real and substantial than all this drama, empty sexuality and broken humanness’… (my reaction on my blog back then is here http://wp.me/pqPD4-1H but is not suitable for people who can’t stand the f-word that American popular culture has taught me to use in this kind of context…)

I do like your deconstruction of Lady Gaga, even though I’m not sure if money is all that she’s after. I do think she loves the attention and adoration of the ‘little monsters’ and she wants to give something baok for that too.

May God have mercy on her and shine a light in the mess of her life. There’s something really hurt and broken about her.

the zappa story is an urban legend…

Why do I have to be a mom?

Can’t I be a woman who is interested in the world around me and the social/political consequences of raising up a generation of people who think they are “special” and because they think that, they follow with blind adulation a girl who, as you so aptly point out, has built a marketing empire around a motif of being incoherent.

Something hurt and broken about all of us. Something that Wall Street can’t sell us a fix for. Something that Lady Gaga and all her talent can’t mend.

nope, but what she can do (and does, like many talented musicians) is to channel her hurt and brokenness through her music and so share it with the world and multiply it. People who have similar feelings (like a lot of young people growing up with parents that are for example divorced or always absent because of their carreers) will recognise it, and are able to let it grow… Maybe it is able to create some ‘solidarity through pain’ among the ‘little monsters’, but what good does it do to artificially stimulate this kind of hurt and brokenness to grow anyway???

(I’ve noticed the same with KoRn and Marilyn Manson years ago. Yes they are able to channel their feelings through their music, and that’s some kind of talent, but still what does spreading the negativity do?)

Karen, this is a wonderful, insightful piece of writing. We do people no favors when we tell them lies, and we set them up for heartbreak when we ask them to idolize the greedy and narcissistic. For her monsters, she’s a placebo for the soul, and it’s simply sad to see them fall for a charlatan’s act. I also like your comparison in the comments to the prosperity gospel pastors — there’s many similar motivations (and outcomes). Christ asks us to take up our cross, not celebrate ourselves.

Thanks David.

huh? why so nasty?

She’s not unique in her message.. never claimed to be.. but it’s a message obviously needed. If you don’t need it.. so be it, no need to show so much hate. Shame on you… and this in the name of gawd?

You sound jealous, Karen. You must have been one of those mean girls in high school who is jealous because the girl she picked on became successful. Love. Don’t judge.

Karen,
Thanks for not editing out the posts (except for expletives). Boy, I got a few other subjects to get you started. Nice article about Tim yesterday.

Sorry to all the regular readers who have put up with my bad grammer & spelling – James, that’s for you.

To all you Gaga (monster) fans – if you read this far. Karen is going to be in a captive place next week. I don’t listen to Gaga. I don’t know one of her songs. I know who she is – I just don’t care.

But I ain’t the dumbest knife in the drawer.

Could you give me your best song that might interest Karen on her water journey next week? I will make sure we play it loud on all 12 speakers.

Regards,
John in PDX

“Does she personally help people in her audience? At a concert, does she sit down with the audience and talk to them about problems that they might be having, and offer assistance?”

HAHAHAHA she does actually. You’ve OBVIOUSLY never been to/seen her concerts.

I think there’s something even worst in all that.

She speaks about being bullied but is she suffering of that actually? at the moment,at the minute we are speaking,at the minute she is speaking about it,wich means pretty much all the time

Is someone suffering from being “different”, suffering HIGH school pressure or whatever you call it , going to get any better,I say any better by going home after being thrown on the trash at school, what is the solution? You listen to a Lady Gaga track and cry? and the next day,you get bullied again,but that’s ok because tonight like every night you’ll go home and listen to Lady Gaga who is telling you you were born this way

Isn’t talking about “DIFFERENCES” already a road to isolation and avoiding problems that we could solve? what does being different means?

I agree with this article (specially with the comparison to Marlyn Manson and Madonna) but you don’t give her credit for her talent. Like Manson and Madonna, she’s a master in the art of marketing and musical ability. I can’t stand her but it’s because she settles on making typical pop music and she can do much better. I’ve seen here skills at the keys. She could do so much more musically but she waists her talent on pop. I have no moral objections to her as much as I do any other famed pop star. Christianity has pushed our culture into a sexual tailspin with it’s focus on sin and rules and not God’s love. No one wants to be a part of something where its members are constant judging and trying to impose rules that they think agree with God’s law on a secular society. It’s the Adam and Eve complex. It’s the reason that countries with few drug laws have few drug addicts and countries, like the U.S., that have many drug laws have a percentage of the population over 10% addicted to drugs. Something has to give in our society. The sexualized entertainment industry has gotten outta control. Gaga is nothing more than riding the popularity of sex right into riches. If I weren’t a Christian and I was in her shoes, i’d do the same. We shouldn’t judge Gaga for selling sex, we should be ashamed at ourselves for letting our society desire it so bad.

Karen,
I agree with your point, but not with your tone. Somewhere in there it feels like it went from righteous anger to contemptuous anger. I think you can reveal false idols/gods in a way that still shows respect to those whom you are trying to reach. Consider the way the apostle Paul firmly, but respectfully, communicated to those in Athens who were worshiping multiple false gods, including “an unknown god” (Acts 17). Just a thought.

No, I don’t have to listen to Lady Gaga, but I DO enjoy American Idol and I thought it was fun for the family until Lady Gaga’s appearance. I like her voice but really, can’t she leave something to the imagination? The danger in people like her is the sexualization and little girls thinking they should emulate her behavior. Impressionable little girls can’t be in the same room with Gaga gyrating lewdly, and my 7-yr-old granddaughter certainly isn’t allowed to watch such garbage. Pop culture invades our society, pop artists do have some responsibility.

Yep. No anger here — righteous or otherwise — just good old fashioned journalism the way it used to be done mixed in with a bit of my cranked up stylized wit. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea but if you like it spiked, come on back. We have us a rollicking good time here.

JW: I am confused by your remarks that I overlook her talent. Indeed, I referred to her as a child prodigy and that she must have worked her butt off to get into NYU at age 17. So I hardly think I’m dismissive of her talent.
That said, I am completely befuddled by your remarks about Christianity pushing our culture into a sexual tailspin, with it’s focus on sin and rules and not God’s love.
When I hear such comments the first thing I think is that whoever is writing that apparently has been a church dropout for the last 20 years. How is it that we are not focused on God’s love? Holler, hardly anyone preaches on the holiness of God or the standard of living that we are called to, anymore. The largest church in America right now is run by a man who never talks about sin, and uses a world, not a cross as his backdrop.
The word sin lost favor with the church in the late 1980s when the prosperity gospel became mainstream.
Christians haven’t pushed culture into this atmosphere of sexual chaos. If anything the bulk of good journalism out there in the Christian marketplace has tried to address the issues of porn and a hyper-sexed culture responsibly. Do you read Relevant or Christianity Today or UrbanFaith or Burnside Writers or any of the many other sites which tackle the pressures put upon Christians by a MTV/ Cosmo culture that lauds self-gratification & self-adulation as the highest end of mankind?

Being annoyed at Lady Gaga’s over-exposure is one thing… equating that to some sort of moral critique is quite another. I also find it odd to hear you call a woman you obviously don’t know personally a “harlot” and “pimp” on an ostensibly religious blog. This whole post reads as if you were suddenly annoyed by Lady Gaga and then decided the best outlet was a rant on your blog. Guess who do that? 14 year olds. On Facebook. It’s hard to take a writer seriously when they don’t take the time to consider what their writing, which is obvious from the ad-hominem attacks.

But more to the point – Lady Gaga is capitalism and entertainment in it’s most modern form. Yes, she panders. Yes, she over-exposes. But that’s entertainment today. Get used to it. She’s hardly the only one who does this, although she probably is the most prominent. What I think is misleading about your post is that beneath all the gimmicks and pandering, Gaga actually supports the causes she speaks about (like gay rights). The message of her songs doesn’t come out of nowhere. That’s why I think you’re argument that Gaga is “fake” is specious. Exploitative, maybe, but not really “fake”.

I also don’t think you give Gaga’s talent enough credit. Yes, she is derivative, but she’s also a twist on all that has come before her. Have you even listened to her album? I think the reviews speak for themselves. I don’t think she’s the best thing ever, but I do respect her sheer intention to entertain. Yes, in your view, her goal is to sell. But, honestly, I don’t fully buy that. Yes, I think she wants money, but I can’t believe that person so dedicated to their craft physically and emotionally is solely doing it for the cash. I respect that. She wants to overwhelm all our senses, and while it can be obnoxious, I can at least respect it.

You also say that we should strive toward being ordinary, and most people are. I would take it a little bit further. Most people are ordinary, and most people are miserable. Existence is a miserable thing. Is it so wrong to have someone so focused on both visually and audibly entertain us? Most “artists” today are only focused on one or the other. To me, in light of Gaga, that’s just sheer laziness

Karen, well Sister, I’d say you went and stirred up a Hornet’s nest of fuax outrage. Apparently, the Master Monster is correct. They are like her. Self-absorbed, sadly narcissisticand and captured by a culture that simply regurgitates its own egomania. Wonder where has been the outrage when you’ve discussed poverty or hatred or racism or a hundred other issues of injustice addressed here. Lady Gaga is at least more honest than much of the diatribe here. She says she is fake! Lawd.

Thank you! This lady is just trying to get attention by dropping Gagas name, and unfortunately its working.

Never once heard a Lady Gaga song or video or interview. I do know that she generates emotional, spiritual and intellectual responses. Most of the people I know react from the negative side. Should I stay in my ignorant bubble or check out a song for myself?

I am always amazed at the “piranha phenomena” that occurs when Miss Karen goes to passing some of her discernment over the dominate culture of our day. Why, it’s always ‘blood in the water’! But, if she writes a piece about the genuine ‘meek’ and lowly, then it’s hardly a whimper from the crowd. I guess it’s only right the “good book” promises that the latter will have their reward in the hereafter, because HE knew it’s only the Lady Gaga types that men will honor in this life.

How many of those things have you done?

I’m sure you’re a good person, and you’re a talented writer, but you just wrote an article attacking somebody who means a lot to myself and others. When people I care about are being criticized, I’m going to stand up and defend them, whether you like it or not. I’m not promoting Lady Gaga, I’m defending her.

I’m a student. I’m not rich, and I don’t have an extreme amount of free time. Volunteering at both an animal shelter and a homeless shelter, I do the little that I can while still enjoying being a kid. So in case there was actual curiosity behind your hostile comments, I’d like you to know that I do my part.

I understand not liking Lady Gaga’s music. I understand not liking the way she dresses. I understand being Christian and disliking her for her morals. What I don’t understand is hating her for promoting both self-acceptance and the acceptance of others.

I’ll save you the trouble of reading some personal, emotional narrative about how Lady Gaga helped me accept myself, but suffice to say Lady Gaga and the community surrounding her has given me love and acceptance when I had none. Whether or not she truly cares about me is irrelevant, because the message is there.

To be clear Jacob and correct, I called Wall Street the pimp and Lady Gaga their harlot. I think that’s a valid assessment.

RE: The validity of Gaga’s message. I can’t say whether she actually supports the causes. Because she is so commercialized in everything she does, I tend to think her message is more market ploy. How can you take issue with a woman who defends the defenseless, heh? I find her whole monologue about how she was bullied as a Catholic school girl questionable, frankly. I mean it’s not like she was the only black girl in a school of whites in Alabama. She comes from an upper middle class family, she had two parents, and parents who apparently support her, she was talented at an early age, and was afforded the benefit of a good education and music lessons of all sorts. And she was pretty too boot. So exactly what was she being bullied about? And by whom? I’d be interested in hearing from some of her former classmates on this issue. Let the bullies step forward.

As to your outrageous remark about “most people being miserable” — tell me where you found that research? The Barna Group? Pew Research?

Oh. I know. It must be one of those ad-hominem remarks you referenced earlier.

Sorry. My bad.

Stay there.

“Exactly how is it Lady Gaga is like you?”

I actually had the same thought this morning about all these reality shows in which people bare all about their lives. Some people haplessly follow these people and then say or think, “I know just how he/she feels; I’ve been there.” Really? You have directors and writers following you around staging what you do or say?

Sadly Gaga and so many others are manufactured by industry professionals.

John: You are so funny.

Actually, Kristie, I was everyone’s favorite in high school. I wasn’t bullied. People were nice to me. I tried to be nice back. I wasn’t weird or fake. I was always funny and the girl everyone loved. I still am. It’s part of my charm.

I agree with Cliff. In general, folks don’t listen to judgment and finger-pointing (especially not teens or young adults). As a pastor and therapist who works with my youth I use Gaga’s music to teach them. They’re listening to it anyway. We watched Bad Romance and talked about the many layers of meaning it conveyed to them and others. It formed a bridge for us to then discuss God’s love and how they experience that. Today’s kids aren’t stupid or narcissistic just because they listen to entertainers like Gaga. Just like I wasn’t, even though I cried real tears when I saw Elvis in person. Her story and personna are not unique which is why they ARE relevant for today’s generation. It just means that adults who care about kids have to pay better attention and LISTEN to what their fears are. And LISTEN to why she matters to them. Please don’t assume you understand all the theological or emotional dynamics that folks like Gaga generate…..you don’t. This article makes you sound arrogant and all-knowing. I hope that’s not the impression you’re trying to leave us with.

Karen,
What you said about Gaga preaching a false theology (earlier in this extremely interesting comment stream) was spot on.
What church is it that has the world backdrop? You have sparked my curiosity!

Joel Osteen

It’s amazing to me how so many open-minded people, who’ve learned so much about love from Lady Gaga, can be so uncivil to a woman who shared a well-reasoned opinion.

Absolutely listen to a few songs from The Fame Monster or Born This Way. She write or co-writes all of her lyrics. She co-produced everything on Born This Way. She has an amazing voice, live or otherwise. This Karen woman who wrote this article is a little extreme. It’s perfectly fine not to like Lady Gaga, but there’s no need to waste our or her own time writing all this ridiculousness.

really? Elvis anyone?

Karen you come across as an extremely arrogant, disrespectful, ill-informormed women who just wants to be heard even if what you have to say is verbal diarrhea. I am great, you have the possibility of being so, as does everyone else in this beautiful world. Gaga has neve claimed to be 100% original borrowing from many artists to project her love of the Arts. The music is a vehicle for the message. Trying to deepen the shallow nature of pop.

With so much negative enegy I’m the world of which you clearly seem to be so fond of it is impressive to see somebody of her prominence incorporate a powerful “love yourself & all others” message. Maybe you should take a cue from Gaga herself! Your caption identifies on a search for Gods poetry, Maybe you should stick to that mission instead of critiqueing pop stars.

I really don’t know what all the surprise is. The music business is what it is. The do “market” people and personalities. That’s how they make money. I am not really a fan of hers because I usually listen to a different style of music but, the songs I have heard from her seem to be sending positive messages. I can think of many “artist” not sending positive messages. She is outrageous and unusual (some may like that sort of thing)It seems really simple to me if you don’t like it don’t listen don’t buy it.

Sounds like you’d all love to burn Lady Gaga at the stake – that’s what you Christians do best, right? Gaga’s message is one of tolerance, equality, and self-acceptance. You know, kind of what Jesus was talking about. Many of these comments, however, seem to be about racism, homophobia, and pre-judging people because of their dialect, grammar, etc. How unChristlike. Karen Spears, you obviously don’t know your subject – Gaga donated more money than any other celebrity in 2010, including Oprah:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/entertainment/music/Lady-Gaga–112397444.html. And she’s well on her way to giving even more this year.

absolutely listen to her live acoustic performances. she’s amazing

Under no circumstances is this report at all ethical or balanced. It is a gripe at a famous figure and its followers and a ridiculous emphasis of ‘I woke up today and thought I would write about Gaga and her little Hitler’s’. I ACTUALLY thought this was written by a teenager, showing more support for Katy Perry or Justin Bieber and snagging down Gaga. The entirety of the article is a fabrication on one woman’s undoubtedly vicious attack on someone who is not only reshaping the music industry, but also the charitable industry also. Karen, you’re article is quintessentially a deeming mess. You penalise and judge so incoherently, with the WORSE researching ever and justification on all counts here, do NOT support this article. It is a personal gripe at a famous figure.
There is just so much fabrication and no fact. Total waste of time from a biased religious blogger. Oh yes, religion. Does Gaga cause war? Does Gaga preach evil or hatred… The only fool here is Karen. I would be careful with you’re words…

“….. Gaga’s message is one of tolerance, equality, and self-acceptance. You know, kind of what Jesus was talking about….”

FWIW I am not the least bit religious but I have to say comparing GaGa’s ‘message’ to Jesus’ message is stretching it a bit!

Is Gaga a Fake ??

Now there’s a question

Well I guess that all depends on ones definition of ‘Fake’. As far as I’m concerned the problem with Lady Gaga is that her persona and hence her motives are built upon a ‘lie to truth’ foundation
In many way this is genius both in how it reflects a present day reality ( where anyone can fabricate their own truth out of a lie or imagination – say , through, a persona on youtube)
and in the way this protects her from 1) interrogation and 2) criticism

For example, She says she ‘loves her fans’ and publicly demonstrates her love to her monsters – But
does she really care for them?
This supposed care/appreciation could be 100% genuine but it could also be the Lie. Furthermore even if it where a Lie – she could by proclaiming and acting upon it be 1) hoping to make it true ( develop a greater love for her fans) or 2) dupe her fans into believing her lie ( essentially exploiting them)

We can’t know Lady Gaga’s mind or motives but I certainly think her message ( even if it is well intentioned) is potentially destructive . Why ? because IMHO it appears to promote unchecked ‘ Self Acceptance’ and the elevation and celebrification of the’ Self’ – I agree ‘ Loving who you are’ comes across as a positive and empowering message but IMHO It’s too simplistic – it doesn’t promote or give little monster any reason to critique themselves and gain the kind of self-awareness required to really grow and develop as individuals, or indeed as a society

I wouldn’t expect this complexity of creative output from say Spears, but I certainly do expect it from Gaga. Why ?? Because she certainly appears to have the intelligence and creative wherewithal to rise to the challenge 2) has intentionally or not set herself up as some kind of creative embodiment of a better, more embracing society

In this way Gaga confuses through inconsistency
On the one hand she appears as a self-aware artist who wants the best for her fans
yet at the same time promotes nothing but the most simplistic ( be it psychologically powerful) message of ‘Love’ and’ Acceptance’
The former deconstructs down to a zombifying concoction of ‘ narcissistic nothingness’ and the later whilst applaud-able in theory lacks the intellectual savvy ( which Gaga herself seems to possess) that would actually make it valuable
Hence Gaga frustrates!! – She seems to have the ( intellectual, cultural and creative) power to really be a force of good in the world. A woman who could empower a whole generation. She even pays lip-service to such a desire – yet IMHO she doesn’t deliver – If anything , intentionally or not, I think she’s eroding her little monster’s power – distracting the very people she purports to love from what makes them so special/powerful in the first place

Hence I really don’t know whether Gaga is a fake or not.. Hardly shy of a bit of poker-facing she may very well be double or triple bluffing – Maybe it’s her way of alerting her monsters to the incongruity of Fame/Celebrity Culture/Society– Maybe it’s the best she can muster within the music industry machine

The problem is , if the monsters, I’ve encountered are representative, they’re certainly not getting any such subtlety . By and large they’ve all quoted outward signifiers ( i.e Lady Gaga handing out cupcakes, giving to charity, crying because of the passion she has for communicating her message)
as Proof of her’ Authenticity’ and ‘Genuine Feelings’ for them

As for me – I’m not convinced – I always feel uneasy when I feel there is a disconnect between
Actions, Words and Intent – And that’s how I feel about Gaga

But Ultimately ‘Fake’ or ‘Genuine’ I think she’s certainly an intriguing pop-cultural entity – Hence I’ll continue to enjoy her music, listen to her message, whilst remaining wary/vigilant

Like I always say, ” Lady Gaga is no lady.”

Thoughtful, reflective observations. Thanks for sharing. Love the remark about the mixed messages LG puts out. If this is her life at 25, what will it be at 50?

Abandonculture:

I don’t understand your remark about comparing Gaga’s message to the Jesus message.

Who did that? Where?

Yes, it seems the Church and Christians don’t have the corner market on hypocrisy. #monsterfans have their own fair share of it. Wonder, could it just be a human factor?

If you and I and everyone are great, then who’s left to clean the toilets? Pay the bills? Make sure the kids don’t get kidnapped? The overall point in this article, which you miss in your attack, is that humility is a good thing. What makes a person great is when they realize that they are just a person. There’s a great monologue in Fight Club about the underlying anger and disappointment in the generation coming of age as they realize not everyone can be a movie star, which contradicts the popular thought.

‘The music is a vehicle for the message’ – then why charge for it? Just ask for donations.

I believe the KISS one is as well.

AbandonCulture did a great analysis of a troubling trend:

http://abandonculture.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/its-official-aggressive-marketing-is-the-new-consumer-power/

I dig your response too. Promoting a lie as truth. Is believing a lie ever a good thing? And is this really about helping people or showing you can deceive and manipulate them? If she really wanted to help her fans, she’d speak the truth to them.

I’m not sure where I fall on the more conspiratorial end of the pop culture discourse (think Vigilant Citizen) but I do find disturbing trends in the pop music of Rihanna, Katy Perry, Kayne West, Lady Gag-me et al of death, decay, sex with aliens and/or completely divorced from any notions of love, and the misappropriation of Christian and ancient symbols (most notably Egyptian) to foster a creepy & dark world view where people are controlled “for their own good.” Only on the surface is LG’s schtick nice and inclusive. You only have to look at her videos to see a very dark and twisted agenda going on. I halfway believe Lady Gag-me when she says she wants our soul not our money. Who does she think she is? Mephistopheles? And this is the role model being pushed on our young?

I clicked on the video and listened to the song “Born This Way” for the first time in my life and all I kept hearing was “Express Yourself” by Madonna. Similar voice, lyrics, melody, arrangement. Even the bevy of boy dancers and their moves remind me of nothing so much as Madge circa 1991. How funny that Madonna, who was considered the consummate rip-off artist in her time, is herself being ripped off.

I am sorry for the younger set. All they know about culture is dry humping and simulated violence. Can’t blame them. That’s all they’ve been given.

Hey you’re probably right, but so what? Lighten up. I think Gaga’s a pretty good song writer, a pretty good singer (dancer – not so much) and a hoot. I like her. So sue me.

Lots of folks have compared #Bornthisway with #Expressyourself. You’re the first to note that Madonna is getting ripped off. #payback

All good questions. Thanks for expressing them here, compelling others to consider them as well.

a britney fan wrote this article for attention

Amen. Lady Gaga is a common sort of performer–one that welcomes the attention and the financial reward of pandering to the already self-absorbed. She is also a performer of a different sort—to which the heightened response to criticism of her attests. She touches a raw, unrefined part of her audience, reinforcing already inflated feelings of importance. Ms. Zacharias’ merely states the obvious, and that many think their petulance passes for reason is a testament to how far culture has reverted to age-old vices. Gaga’s cries of self-importance and acceptance “celebrate” what any civilization has seen as something to be fixed, not celebrated. Virtue is boring to this crowd, they demand to be “empowered” to act as infants, to be exalted while they debase themselves. They find an apostle in her.

You said it better than I did. Thank you.

kesseljunkie I understand your perspective, although I didn’t mean what I said as an attack, I could have been more respectful as I don’t know Karen. It is bothering to see comments such as hers and yours attempting to diminish the importance of one and all. Who is to say somebody cleaning a toilet isn’t great? Perhaps this is their beginning to better opportunities. Of what use is it to go through life with a glass 1/2 full.

I was quoting from the comment I replied to. The one by ‘Dogstar’

See it now?

Totally awesome comment!

I think the answer to the ‘Fake vs Real’ question is actually pretty simple. You just have to factor in the other half of GaGa which is the music industry machine which employs her and which decided to ‘hire’ her and make her famous and thus influential (without the all that promotion she would have just remained one of thousands of average singer / songwriter acts floating around in relative obscurity).

Yes she can actually sing and play and even write music (gasp!) But beyond that she is not so much ‘real’ and simply *driven* and not so much for music but just for fame.

We now live in a world where a lot of people now just want to make ‘it’. They want to be famous first and foremost and being a singer is how they see themselves achieving this goal.

We live in the age of the ‘social persona’ and the ‘inauthentic person’ people who live outside of themselves, their lives exist only in the media world of celebs and trends and fashion and entertainments.

To ‘express yourself’ these days simply means to be watched by others – it no longer necessitates looking inside, finding something unique there and bringing it out to the surface (with or without an audience present).

GaGa is genuine in that she just wants to be famous on any terms. That IS her ‘message’. She is a ‘fame monster’ which just means a sell out. Achieving celebrity IS her business – it is her art. The singing stuff is just the picture frame.

And paradoxically it is this honesty and authenticity in being a complete sell out that people pick up on and worship.

Welcome, as they say, to the New World Order

Ahh…gotcha. I can reply to your posts without actually seeing the post you are replying to. Thanks for the clarification.

If its such a waste of time to you, why bother reading? This Karen actually hit the nail on the head. GaGa did NOT come from a poor family, she is NOT orginal in anyway, and that she is starved for attention in the worst way. An GREAT artist doesn’t have to do anything extreme in order to get people to notice them. They are just are. Lady GaGa is a fad that will eventually fade out. Meat dresses and 20 inch heels just show how truly insecure and untalented she really is. She hasn’t mastered the art of fame, she’s just got it by the balls at the moment but that’ll change and her “Little Monsters” will wise up eventually.

Alrighty then, I don’t even know who she is. The wonders of not owning a TV continue to amaze me.

Blessings.

Okay u people don’t know anything! LADY GAGA IS THE BEST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE POP MUSIC INDUSTRY WITHIN THE LAST 4 YEARS!!!!!! she grew up well structured and went to a catholic school. She wanted to be a singer all her life. She got her nickname off the queen song radio gaga because her friends went gaga over her performances. Her clothes are art and there is a meaning behind all of them. She spends all her money on her performances and security. PEOPLE WATCH A GAGAVISION ON YOUTUBE OR GO ON ITUNES AND RENT THE GAGA MOVIE……IT EXPLAINS HER WHOLE LIFE…..AND THEN U CAN JUDGE HER. DONT JUDGE PEOPLE BEFORE U CAN’T PUT THE TRUTH BEHIND IT…

OH YEAH AND SHE WROTE BORN THIS WAY WHEN SHE WAS IN THE SHOWER ….SOMEONE DIDN’T GIVE HER THAT NAME….SHE CAME UP WITH IT

Omg please look her up and listen to some music

Join the club, Darlene – Karen Zacharias hasn’t seen her either.

Irony indeed. I had no idea ’til now Gaga’s fans were such a hateful, bigoted, narrow minded bunch. Well, I hate to catagorize like that. I am sure there are some decent tolerant folks among ‘em. I just see no evidence here

Not true, Andrew. Did my research. Listened to her interviews and her music and still reached these conclusions.

Mmm…good stuff here…

For people who claim to follow a loving God, you sure are a a judgmental bunch.

You don’t have to be poor to be talented.

No but you shouldn’t go around claiming that a poverty that never was shaped your talent and gave you drive either.

Lady Gaga is by far the worst cultural atrocity to come along in recent history. She spreads a message of originality and self-acceptance from a completely unoriginal and insecure platform. The conflict of her message vs. her actions are appalling, and the fact that she has a legion of followers who want desperately to believe in her lies are horrifying. Believing in yourself is important. Having self-confidence is important. Thinking that we are all unique little snowflakes that should be worshipped and appreciated is trite bullsh**. The author of this article is right, this will inspire even more entitlement and narcissism in a culture that is already overrun with it.

Karen Spears Zacharias quote “The truth is you aren’t great. You are just ordinary, like the millions of other ordinary people in the world.” WTH Karen! I have Son that Isnt Ordinary and he was reminded of it every DAY! you havent a clue what is was Like for him in school. If lady GAGA can pull ONE human being from that living HELL of a world, Lady Gaga can be, Whoever she needs to BE………………………..

Jesus was intolerant to self-righteousness and put the oppressed above the oppressors. So, no, it wasn’t about tolerance, equality, or self-acceptance. It was about being intolerant to the sin in our own lives and doing so by dying to ourselves.

So before you begin to declare anyone hypocritical, it would behoove you to actually study the subject first. My biggest pet peeve is when people say, “That’s so unChristlike!” when they’ve never taken the time to study Christ.

I feel bad for Karen, because she attacked a false reality, which means those trapped within the false reality will only fight back all the more. She’s going to be told how unChristlike she is, how Jesus was tolerant and accepting of people, but all of this has been shaped within the false reality. Jesus was killed on a cross after a conspiracy of powerful people was enacted against him. Let us also not forget that all of Jerusalem turned on him. No one does that to someone who promotes peace and tolerance. You can only get an entire city to turn against you if you happen to tick everyone off.

But again, all of this is coming from reality, not a false reality…

Since when is it wrong to be discerning and point out something that is fake and harmful? To be judgmental means to judge people on things they can’t help or to be overly critical of a person’s flaws. However, pointing out the harm in engaging in an activity or the harm in following a person isn’t judgmental; it’s being discerning.

And therein lies the problem of our culture, most people in my generation and the generation after me have equivocated “discerning” with “judgmental.” And we wonder why our culture, if I dare use such a word to describe our current affairs, is in a tailspin.

wow lady, if bitter has a face, your wearing it. First and foremost your mistake was judging her in the first place, so if you think your doing Gods work, think again. All you would have had to do is post her pic there, of her in black and white, what is that her high school pic? Anyway the picture speaks a thousand words. There’s no question as to whether she is fake or not, any intelligent person who knows what they’re talking about would also know that “it’s showbiz”, this facade is nothing more than a character, or role she’s playing. That’s the point of the costumes and makeup and pretty much the act you puts on in front of the camera. But she’s probably a lot smarter than most pop singers because yes, she can market herself as a “trend” by portraying someone whom her fans can emulate, dress a bit more bold and charismatic, and label as having “shock value”. But what you don’t consider is the fact that you peel away the makeup, wigs, and freak clothing and basically you have no clue what she really looks like now. The pic you’ve shown is obviously from some years back, now her hair, nose, and probably her figure, have all changed. So think about it, what drives most singers, and pop stars to the outer limits? What ends up playing against them once they reach stardom? Exploitation maybe? The paparazzi always up in their business, catching them when they aren’t prepared to be on camera…. hmmm is it making any sense yet? She could’ve walked past you on the sidewalk and you wouldn’t have even known it was her. And she wont ever have to worry about that happening because she was smart enough to do what showbiz is all about. Putting on a great performance. I wonder if you would attack the intentions or motives of julia roberts, she portrays herself as a hooker, but she’s really not a hooker, or did you just write it off because it’s a character in a movie. Well guess what, she only took that role so she could make a film that would do well in the box office, that would be seen and liked by as many people as possible soooo in the end she’d make a lot of money for it. That is the goal and intention of anyone who’s in show-business. And pretty much everyone else in the world who follows a career, or profession as dedicated as those walking the red carpet.. I’m not saying that they are all making a positive difference in the world, some make the opposite, which is a whole other issue within itself, but they work hard to get where they are. The downfall for julia roberts, and whitney housten, and mariah carey, and brittany spears, etc…. is that when they aren’t working or in front of a camera, they aren’t as free to live accordingly as the rest of us “ordinary people”, as you put it. They aren’t allowed to make mistakes because they are made examples of. People like you, who judge them without stopping to think what if someone put your indiscretions on blast? What if they exploited your mistakes and put it on TMZ? I bet you might think twice before you cast stones if yourself had a house made of glass. Maybe you need to review your bible and re-blog, perhaps with the thought in mind to treat others as you would like to be treated, or “do unto others as you yourself would like done unto you”. Does that ring a bell? Lady gaga is just a stage name, I know she didn’t take her butt downtown to the dmv or wherever to have her name legally changed. I’m sure if Stafani ever stumbled upon your message she would be hurt, and I’m sure your not the first person to slander, and defemate this young women. She is a very wealthy and successful women who’d rise to fame in what seemed like overnight. I’m sure along with many other celebrities, she has many fans as well as “haters”. I know we go about our days so caught up in our “ordinary lives” doing our “ordinary regimes” day in and day out, that we sit our butts down in front of the t.v and get lost in what everyone else does, forgetting what we are actually watching. Yes, our kids aren’t smart enough to know it’s an act, and that there is just another 25 year old women under all that MAC, Ben Nye, Joe Blasco, different colored wigs and meat gowns. But then again they also don’t know that the man dressed as Santa Claus at your local mall during Christmas time, isn’t the real Santa. Eventually as they grow up, they learn the truth of these characters and where they descended from. But thats why it’s our responsibility to do the parental advising, and to know what your kids are watching on t.v. One thing I don’t understand is the lack of common sense that has become as common as brown hair, or blue eyes. There is a big difference between what a child hears as music than what a child watches on t.v. How many times have you liked a song, heard it all over the radio, heard who sings it and had no clue who they were, then when you finally see their face somewhere either on t.v or the cover of a magazine and your stunned. You never would have pictured them to look a certain way, but do you allow that acknowledgement to then base it’s own opinion and judgement and alter your perception of who they are? Judging someone by their appearance seems to be the hardest thing for people not to do. Just loving them for being them is too much to ask apparently, maybe because stefani isn’t a relative or close friend of yours so maybe if you can remember a little saying “To each their own”. But if your going to be Prophesying for God, you really outta learn or review His Scriptures. Right now your doing exactly what He says not too. And smacking your opinions that degrade someone who’s never done nor said a single unkind thing to you, as a matter of fact i bet she’s never done nor said anything to you at all. Maybe that’s what really compels your inner aspiring hostility and hatred for someone who has no idea of your existence. Maybe you just want a shot at fame, or maybe you always wanted to be a singer but have no talent. Kind of like your journalistic skills, and depth of perception, nonetheless I can tell you one thing, I would rather my child, niece, or students, any child, who is looking for someone to look up to, and inspiration, I would much prefer they chose Lady Gaga, than you or someone like you. She at least encourages positive outlooks, think of how many kids have committed suicide because they cared to much what people thought. Even adults have resorted to taking their own life because of others cruelty or general opinions. What would you think if you found out she read this and tried hurting herself or worse? Would you give a sh**? Hopefully this will enlighten you to a new conception, better yet I hope it results in you rekindling your relationship with your better judgement. Take care, and God bless_

See note below… from angela

Is it a requirement for Gaga followers to have horrible grammar? I can understand a typo here or there, and I’m quite sure every document will make a mistake or two (or three or four if you’re me), but to render something as almost unreadable due to the mistakes in grammar is a bit too much. Is this the intellectual capacity we can expect from those who defend Gaga?

As to the reader above, if Lady Gaga read this and hurt herself as a consequence then that’s her choice. While I’m against bullying, it’s not as though we have to let the bullying get to us (and this article isn’t bullying, I’m simply pointing out a simple truth here). We’re so wrapped up on having high self-esteem without having done anything to warrant said self-esteem. We forget that low self-esteem is sometimes just good common sense.

But I digress. Growing up I was bullied non-stop. There was a stretch where I came home from school in tears almost everyday. Yet, I’m still a productive member of society who is working towards an advanced degree and seemingly lack the psychological scars that are supposed to exist. Why? Because I grew up. Perhaps our society should do the same.

I feel like a high school teacher reading through some of these blog posts. I keep asking myself that same question: What’s up with the grammar among the Gaga groupies?

This is simply because allot of Gaga fans are from younger generations and or because they use the internet allot. When commenting or conversing on forums people do not always pay loads of attention to their grammar because most of us just want to get our point across we aren’t writing and essay or even a blog here. if I can read it I generally don’t care about the grammar. considering how much text speak and lolcats language or whatever else there is gets used on the internet that we have to decipher I find people complaining about a few grammatical mistakes a bit over the top.

I have already stated my opinions on this article i hope Karen at least read it

Karen:

I am with you 100%. I’ve seen the photos and footage of Gaga before she was Gaga. What a hard-core sell-out. Actually kind of sad when you think about it.

Have you ever asked a Gaga fan to describe the difference between the “mother monster” and Madonna? It always cracks me up to hear the wild responses that question receives.

I find it fascinating that she admits her whole act is a lie, and so many people just swallow it whole. A society hell-bent on living in denial. Gaga is proof of this concept. As is everything else on television these days. Did anyone notice anything going on in the world other than the scandal with Anthony Weiner? No, because the news cut away from Pelosi as soon as she said she would not be talking about the scandal. It is pathetic when our best balanced and informative news sources are The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. I guess the moral is that society/the media is such a joke that only comedic minds can truly capture and explain it.

Well, in the case of Colbert & Stewart I think they both possess more than a comedic mind. They are, thankfully, both educating an audience that doesn’t even know they are being schooled. They think they are being entertained.

But, yes, Gaga is 25-years-old. I imagine the deal-making went like this?

I want to be famous.

We can do that.

I want to be rich.

We can do that … all you have to do is being our performing monkey.

I can do that.

Check out my blog Lady Gaga – Cheat This Way?

gagacheat.blogspot.com

I agree with you Karen, 100%

They’re 12.

Lady Gaga made us different people to be the same, and now all those bitches that used to look down on us start to ‘sympathise’ with us.
We outcasts all know you just want to look good in front of others, fuck off, you’re not us, and you’ll never become one of us.

Sadly, it goes even further than that as she stole her entire persona from a girl named Lina Morgana. Gaga had already tried to have a music career and no one was interested in her as anything other than a songwriter. Gaga was hired to help Lina write songs by Rob Fusari and they became friends, Gaga and Rob ended up getting together and he advised her to get a complete makeover, not just visually but her entire being, everything we recognise today as being ‘Gaga’ including the name itself. She did this by completely ripping off Lina and having some plastic surgery and losing a lot of weight. Makes ‘Born this Way’ impossibly ironic.

We already know she’s a plagiarist, her performancein drag at the 2011 VMA’s was a blatant copy of Annie Lennox performing at the Grammy’s in 1984 with the Eurythmics (see for yourself here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc0Jn-IRx6I).

Lina later ‘committed suicide’ by ‘jumping’ from the building of a shitty hotel in NYC at aged 19 and a month later Gaga hit the scene. Check out some early Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta) performances and the old music video of Lina Morgana’s and you’ll see for yourself. In fact, I shall provide the links for you: Stefani: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys9UI4NT_nI Lina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuCFwS_n7To. And here’s a song they recorded together, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIRcCTYk0Q0&feature=related, just to prove at least part of what I have told you, creepy ending huh. Lina’s mum Yana say’s she wont ever sue Gaga (unlike her ex Rob Fusari, who is currently suing as Gaga didn’t meet the terms of their contract which actually states he is entitled to a share of the profits as he helped make her image et al), Yana doesn’t want money, just the recognition her deceased daughter deserves from someone she thought was her daughters friend.

Some go as far to say Gaga killed Lina and that the film ‘Black Swan’ is secretly based on this… Fame monster indeed. No wonder what she most hates is “The truth.”

Pffftttt never want to be you anyway! Thank God!

Also google her on mtv show boiling points. Obviously a regular girl and def not poor.

Gaga is not a Fake. It’s a Joke. A big Hoax. Like Shakira. The US response to the original Hoax…. the Shakira Hoax.