After the 58th iteration of the Grammy’s dazzled people with the red carpet last week, viewers are again left to question why they subject themselves to this system of superiority. We watch these entertainment moguls grace the stage with their weepy pats on the back. We watch these gods among men claim even more fame than they have already accumulated. Of course they are not gods like those out of Greek and Roman mythology with powers beyond our understanding, but they might as well be with the attention we give them through award shows like the Grammy’s. Before you sacrifice your firstborn son to Bruno Mars or Taylor Swift, think twice about the unnecessary pats on the back and godly worship you are bestowing upon them.

Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran: they are just a few of the major celebrities to grace the red carpet. They have made headlines for their musical prowess, the songs we hum on our way to work or school and for some of us those guilty pleasure songs we belt when no one is around. We know their success and we have built their fame. So why do we need to go the extra mile to pat them on the back in an award show? Why forge a list of awards at all? All our artists contribute to the entertainment world and yet we build these shows to value one artist’s accomplishments over another. Award shows like the Grammy’s do not consult the public; it is the reason the news is littered with outrage around each award season when people wonder what system selectors use to crown the kings and queens of entertainment. We are not boosting the importance of these stars; they already have their fame. We are just devaluing their fellow artists who heal the world through the soothing power of music. Award shows like the Grammy’s are a pat on the back for the rich and famous and a kick in the gut for the rest of the nation’s entertainers.

Everyone needs a pat on the back—sure, but when do award shows cross a line from celebrating accomplishment to idolizing their entertainers? At award shows like the Grammy’s and the upcoming Oscar awards. We treat them like gods, offering lavish meals (sacrifices) and basking in all they can do (perform). Fans adore them and bombard them and demand conversations and pictures with them (we pray to them). Sound familiar? It is one thing to celebrate the talented of this nation but it is another to idolize them, to obsess over them, to throw them opulent parties to celebrate our celebration of them. These celebrities have our adoration but do they need our veneration?

People: we love to obsess, to lose ourselves in our favorite artists and actors, to drown in distractions from our hum drum or mile-a-minute lives. However, award shows may be taking our love for these stars a little too far. They may hold the title of stars but they are just as earthbound as the rest of us. It is unnecessary to fuel their ego with award shows, shows that are destructive to entertainers not at the peak of the hierarchy, and we are crossing a line into godly worship should we continue. But go award America, continue making gods out of these men.