Why New Yorkers Ignore Celebrities on the Street

The New Yorker's Joan Acocella explains in May's Smithsonian what effect living in close quarters, often in public, has on the behavior of New Yorker. "They act on the street as they do in private. In the United States today, public behavior is ruled by a kind of compulsory cheer that people probably picked up from television and advertising that coats their transactions in a smooth, shiny glaze. New Yorkers have not yet gotten the knack of this." She also totally knows why we ignore celebrities when we see them in the street (no, it's not 'cause we're jaded):



Well, we may not stare at celebs, but we do excitedly Blackberry their sightings almost instantly to the Gawker Stalker tip line! (Keep up the good work.)

"You Got a Problem With That?" [Smithsonian]

[Photo: Christinabean's Flickr]