"Were not this desire of fame very strong, the difficulty of obtaining it, and the danger of losing it when obtained, would be sufficient to deter a man from so vain a pursuit. " (Joseph Addison, in "The Spectator", no. 255)

I have become aware, if not alarmed, by a trend in behavior that seems to be steadily escalating among all tiers of American society. I am at a loss to label it any more accurately than the purely descriptive term, "noticeability." While we Americans are surely not isolated in what has mutated into a global phenomenon, we are, nevertheless, hands down, its most uninhibited, unguided and, sadly, its most imaginative enthusiasts. Worldwide, there must be millions suffering from this insipid ailment. But, in the good old U.S. of A, we surely have the highest incidence of the disease. I would, conservatively, estimate the prevalence to be about 7 out of 10 Americans. Of course, in the 16 to 35 demographic, it is more likely a 100 per cent penetration.

The etiology of this disorder eludes me, for the most part. However, I do have my suspicions. In my view, the psychopathology emanates from two linked, though completely separate phenomenon. First, I am convinced our lives have become so helter-skelter, hurried and generally disorganized that we feel disconnected - unplugged, if you prefer - both from society and even ourselves. We have, because of the pervasive and relentless forces of the modern lifestyle, become psychically "uprooted." Despite (and, possibly because of) the intrusion of technology (e.g. cell phones, text messaging, voice mail, the Internet and the like) into all our lives, we have lost a sense of "real" attachment to family, community, friends, church and all the old groundings that stabilized our lives in simpler times. We may be in continuous, nonstop communication with anyone and everyone but humanity remains at a "virtual distance" from our actual lives. We feel a distinct sense of "separateness" and an uneasy sensation that we are, in truth, quite alone.

Secondly, there is the primal human need to be seen, acknowledged and appreciated. This is augmented and given palpable substance by the content of the mass media. It seems, with every new incarnation of "reality show", that we, quite possibly, might be the only ones not actually on television or the Internet. With the innate drive to be noticed combined with the sense that others, no different than we, are fulfilling this universal need, an overriding sense of despair overcomes us. We are driven - like the swallows to Capistrano - to increasingly drastic and desperate "stunts" to gain what we need and what we perceive everyone else is garnering: in fine, the appreciation of other Homo sapiens.

How else can one even begin to explain contemporary behavior? We see teenage girls brutally beating each other, camera running, so that they might make a "splash" on YouTube. First, on Long Island, then in Florida and, then, elsewhere. The inconvenient truth that they are committing felony assault does not seem to enter into the equation. As long as their antics can be seen by others appears to be justification enough. Clearly, there can be no rational reason for this "made for video" barbarism.

The "YouTube phenomenon," worthy of its own psychological studies, has fostered a plethora of idiotic stunts specifically video taped for public display. If you search, for example, for "dangerous stunts" on that site, you will see a cavalcade of homemade videos that display the self-destructiveness, boredom, isolation and the desperate quest to be noticed in the nation’s youth. "Inspired" (if one dare use that word) by such television shows as "Jackass" and "I Bet You Will," the price people are willing to pay for their 15 minutes of fame (if one dare use that word) is inflationary. Regardless of what that price might actually reflect on their character or their I.Q., it rises daily as the desperate desire to seen and acknowledged gnaws at the soul of the disenfranchised.

But there are smaller ways that the pursuit for attention has crept into society. While less destructive and less degrading to their adherents, since these "lesser" acts are perpetrated to attract the attention of others, they are, by definition, annoying. For instance, I call your attention to the craze of teenagers (and even some who are old enough to know better) of attaching ineffective - even sound-amplifying - mufflers to their cars or, worse, motorcycles. The original idea, as I understand the concept, of "mufflers" was to reduce the sound of the vehicles engine as it expels the air from the engine post combustion. When - and why - did "muffling" one’s engine become undesirable? I am often startled by the roaring sound of an approaching vehicle on my drive to and from work. When I hear the approaching tumult, I slow my car and assume an alert posture of due diligence, half expecting the approach on a low-flying Lear turbojet conceivably attempting an emergency landing directly on the roof of my car. I am constantly dismayed when, instead of a plummeting jet in distress, the offending vehicle is merely a 1972 Pinto (MSRP $58.00) equipped with a $500.00 (MSRP) exhaust amplifier nee muffler rocketing along, spewing pungent gases and rattling every window within a half-mile. What could be the intention of such thoughtless and unsocial behavior? The only one I can discern is a tragic attempt to be noticed. But, alas, that is only my opinion.

Sticking with the abuse of eardrums by vehicles, we come to the second mode some use to appease their burning desire to turn heads their way. I refer, now, to what I have come to call "the open-air concert-on-wheels." You all know them when you hear them. You pull your vehicle calmly at a stop signal and, deep in your own reflection and thoughts, are unceremoniously plunged into "fight-or-flight" mode by the threatening and deafening thumb of a rhythmic discordance. Snapped from whatever semblance of tranquility you may have achieved, you immediately spot the culprit of your discontent: a car (which can be anything from a late-model luxury car to the aforementioned Pinto) apparently equipped with an array of 20" woofers and only slightly smaller tweeters and utilizing every decibel they can pump out. The car, invariably, has its windows rolled down for full effect. Your eardrums begin to pulsate at an alarming intensity as the caterwauling of what one can only assume is a "rap song" (a possible oxymoron) steadily intensifies in your inner ear and, then, your entire cranium. As you collect yourself, you glance over at the driver. He head is on a swivel as he peers in every conceivable direction to assure that his cacophony is attracting the attention it deserves. If he does not get a sense that he is being stared at by enough disturbed drivers, he gleefully cranks up the volume until he is satisfied. He (or she - it’s a gender-neutral avocation) is the one person stopped at the light who doesn’t care how long he is stopped; for him, the longer, the better. The more prolonged the stoplight holds his intended audience captive and stationary, the more annoying he can become - and the more angry stares he can garner to confirm his ultimate goal: being noticed.

In less publically obtrusive ways one is stunned by the lengths to which young people will go to get the attention of their peers. The recent reports of teenagers using their cell phones to disseminate self-produced pornography are alarming. Debasing themselves with either nude pictures of themselves or actual video of them in nefarious sex acts, these desperate youths go to any lengths to attract the attention of their peers. Modesty and decency are seemingly relics of the hazy past. The goal in contemporary times is distinct, overriding and singular: to be noticed and in any way possible. The more outrageous the behavior, as the consensus opinion apparently goes, the better your chances of making a "splash" in the pool of consciousness of your intended audience. Whether that audience be your peers or the bigger "game" of the Internet and YouTube.

In summation, the societal pursuit of one of the basic human needs - to be noticed by those of your species - is clearly awry. As we feel more and more isolated due to overcrowding, the collapse of ancient supportive institutions (family, church, community), and other factors of modern life, I fear we will all be driven to more and more dire lengths to satisfy the craving for acknowledgment and validation.

Marcus Aurelius asked: "And what, after all, is fame? Altogether vanity." It is that and, at a much deeper level, a sign of an insecure, unfulfilled and needy soul.