1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Today my AiS class went on field trip to the Court Theatre to see the play Jitney, the Osaka Gardens, and finally to the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College. At the museum, there was one exhibit which I found very interesting.

This exhibit featured about 10 different photographs of all different kinds of houses; however, they all had one thing in common: their address.  The address, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  What comes to mind?  The White House in Washington D.C.?  That was what I originally thought of when I viewed the address.  Upon further inquisition, I realized what the exhibit meant to me.

All of these houses were in different locations around the country in a vast array of areas.  One looks like a barn, another a building, another a rural house, and one a lower-quality house.  Interestingly, there was no photo of the White House.  This signifies how all of these buildings have the same address, but only one most people consider to be important.  I bet that if anyone mentions the address 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, they are mentioning the one in Washington D.C., not the one in Indiana or even Arizona.

I personally think that this confusion is due to priority and recognition.  Most people consider the President to be very important and famous.  Since we recognize him, we know the address of his house-- which is a famous monument itself.  People are so caught up in fame, they immediately associate the 1600 Pennsylvania reference to the White House, when 1600 Pennsylvania is just a way to identify a solitary location in a given state, not the nation.

This fame idea is similar to Timothy Treadwell from Grizzly Man.  His father claimed he went downhill after he did not get a part on Cheers.  This American view of celebrity warps people's minds.  Some people spend their whole life trying to be famous and gain recognition.  For example, Will Ferrell is an actor, just like any of the characters we saw in Jitney today.  Same as a member of theater at New Trier.  However, their degree of fame separates them.  The majority of people recognize Ferrell, but not a New Trier actor.   This perception of fame shapes American culture.  

The idea of fame is just like 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue but with buildings instead of people.  The White House has an aura and is well-known, unlike any ordinary house with the same address.  This exhibit really changed my view on how Americans perceive fame and how important it is to society.

Feel free to leave other comments about the exhibit if you saw it.  Also, how do you think Americans perceive fame?  And is it fair to rule out less famous people with the same jobs or lesser-known buildings with the same address because you do not recognize them?