Are famous people entitled to privacy or does the public have the right to know everything about them?
Before you read: some questions to help you think about the topic and the words you might need.
How do you feel about famous people and their privacy?
Do you know about problems that celebrities in your country have?
In the last week we have seen how celebrities both here in Korea and in England have been stalked. So this week, it is interesting to read debates on the Internet like the one below.
“Famous people are continuously followed by photographers and reporters. And this destroys their privacy, and enables the public to know their private lives. Celebrities have benefits and disadvantages, for which they have to face for being famous.
When someone takes on the lifestyle of “the rich and famous”, then they should understand and accept the good and bad things that are bundled with being a famous. These types of people should know the consequences of being someone famous and should be aware of the price they have to pay for being a celebrity. Furthermore, if normal people aren’t entitled to privacy, why should famous people be? A celebrity shouldn’t be treated as special individuals only because they are famous, and appear in television every day, or in magazines because of their scandals and nude pictures.
In addition, if famous people are entitled to privacy, most of the magazines and TV programs would be affected, because their work is based on these people, and if their privacy would be entitled, it would cause the break down of magazines and TV shows. Also many celebrities become famous because they are exposed in a good and rational way, as in TV shows and movies, why shouldn’t they be exposed in their private and real way, so that the public really knows who that person is?
In conclusion I think that the public have the right to know everything about famous people, because what makes someone a celebrity or a famous person, is the common people, so without the public, famous people are ordinary unknown individuals.”
Guessing meaning from context (the words around that word).
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
|
enables |
A |
1 |
Accepts, decides to do |
|
have to face |
B |
2 |
Give power to be able to do something |
|
takes on |
C |
3 |
To be shown, no longer hidden |
|
bundled |
D |
4 |
Privilege, expected reward, |
|
price they have to pay |
E |
5 |
Put together as a package of things |
|
entitled |
F |
6 |
Bad and illegal behavior and actions that are becoming known to many people |
|
scandals |
G |
7 |
Should be allowed to have information about |
|
exposed |
H |
8 |
The cost of doing something, the result for some other action |
|
right to know |
I |
9 |
Have to experience and do something about |
A=2, B=9, C=1, D=5, E=8, F=4, G=6, H=3, I=7
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand the word meaning and how to use them correctly. Try to use the words in your answer.
1. How much private information do you think the public should be enabled to know about celebrities?
2. How would you react if you had to face the experiences that famous people have to face?
3. Do you agree with the writer that celebrities know what they are taking on when they seek to become famous?
4. What things will be bundled with having a job like yours? Or like your future job?
5. What price would you be prepared to pay to be famous? Why or why not?
6. How much privacy do you feel famous people should be entitled to?
7. Why are people so interested in the scandals of celebrities?
8. What scandals have famous people in your country been exposed in?
9. Can you agree with the writer’s final comment that we have a right to know everything about famous people?
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
1. Having social Internet sites like Facebook has enabled so many people to know about our own private lives.
2. Nobody wants to face English tests, but they are necessary to make us study harder.
3. In this last week I have taken on too much extra work and I’m tired.
4. I don’t like package tours because too many things that I don’t want to do are bundled into the one price.
5. The price you have to pay for working in a big busy city is having lots of stress.
6. If you work at KT Telecom, you might be entitled to a free phone and free phone calling.
7. Most scandals in Korean newspapers are about politicians stealing public money. That is why newspapers are trying to expose their bad behavior.
8. These days we have the right to know what information companies keep about us.
ECK Education
