To me academics are celebrities. The different disciplines correspond to the different genres of celebrity. Psychologists are movie stars, Philosophers are indie movie directors and producers, Biologists are . Anthropologists are Robert Downy Jr. Linguists are the types of stars that cross all genres, the movie star that releases a kick ass album, à la Zooey Deschanel. I feel like being tenured is the academic equivalent of having a star on Hollywood Boulevard. Completing your dissertation is like quitting your job at the twenty-four hour diner to move to Los Angeles.

People should treat them as such. If there were a supermarket tabloid that followed the lives of top academics, I would read it. If there were a trashy gossip show about them after the local news, I would watch it.

Would you?