I try to teach my students about the construction of a stage self-- which is performed every time for the cameras, whether it& #39;s a V-live, "reality" show, interview, or concert-- but I feel like accepting this actually threatens the worldview of some highly involved fans. 1/ https://twitter.com/_tassia_a/status/1252579045054787584">https://twitter.com/_tassia_a...

If they accept that they are seeing a stage self, after believing they& #39;d really gotten to know the "real ___"
1) they have to accept that they bought into the performance (that their love blinded them) 2/

2) their devotion of hours of keeping up to date with the star seems less justifiable when they begin to understand how feelings of intimacy are constructed & maintained

As long as we all can remember that we& #39;re seeing a stage self, & avoid thinking we actually *know* idols 3/

then we can enjoy this celebrity text, but without fooling ourselves.

The problem with fooling ourselves into thinking we really know some idol comes when an idol does something *real* [that we learn about] that falls outside our construction of who they are. 4/

Fans can be crushed or angry because this suddenly forces them to accept that they only knew what that idol performed for them.

It& #39;s far better to enjoy the performance that the idol is producing for us, but always remember that the idol has their own true self. 5/

Understand that idols have their own *unobserved* inner core, and that that is a GOOD thing. That is healthy for them. We don& #39;t have a right to their EVERYTHING. We only have a right to what they offer. 6/end