Creepiness creep

With Michael Jackson's passing, I have found myself thinking more about the inherent problems of social isolation. And it has served as a "teachable moment" for explaining what I'm terming "creepiness creep" that befalls so many celebrities. It just seems that the more one tends to be able (and willing) to isolate themselves from "reality," the more creepy they become.

Well, here's an excellent op/ed from Mark Steyn about the unnecessary and unwise "bubble" that we countenance for elected officials. (Let’s Burst the Bubble by Mark Steyn on National Review Online). From the article:

At the press conference, the governor rationalized his unfaithfulness to Mrs. Sanford by saying that he needed to get out of “the bubble.” Tina Brown, proprietrix of The Daily Beast, hooted in derision: “The bubble’s where you’re s’posed to be, Mark. That’s what all the rubber-chicken fundraisers you put her through were for.” But a more basic question is: Why does the minimally empowered executive of a mid-sized state with no particular national prominence need to be in “the bubble” in the first place?

See also Sanford and Gosselin.