S1E135 - Easy Chair No. 135, December 9, 1986

R.J. Rushdoony examines fame and its cultural impact, drawing on Leo Braudy’s The Frenzy of Renown. He contrasts the Christian era, where men lived accountable to God, with the Renaissance and modern times, where public image dominates. From Alexander the Great to modern actors and politicians, people perform for attention, often sacrificing substance, morality, and reality. This obsession with image weakens politics, religion, and society.

He also discusses Theodore Shank’s American Alternative Theater, showing how avant-garde performance and youth culture turn life into theater. Peer pressure and image-consciousness replace objective values, making society shallow and...