It’s a logical extension of our entitlement culture.

Just as people feel entitled to government support, validation of their values, or the financial assistance of family and friends, we’ve become so obsessed with celebrity that we now feel entitled to be part of the lives of entertainers.

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Comedian Amy Schumer recently posted on social media that when she said no to a fan who had aggressively sought to take a photo with her, the fan told her, “It’s America, and we paid for you.”

Celebrities need fans to be successful. But fans increasingly have become righteous in the belief that celebrities owe them something beyond a performance.

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As our society has grown increasingly secular, many have come to idolize overpaid and highly marketed celebs. Unlike religion, this kind of superficial worship has no morally confining rules of conduct. Fans are increasingly feeding their obsessions without boundaries or social tact.

The rise of smartphones and selfies has fed the trend.

Celebrities have long had to worry about paparazzi shoving cameras in their makeup-free faces as they walked the dog. But now, fans are jumping in their face — forcing selfies on them during family dinners, stops at the grocery store, and even at beauty salons. The unflattering photo is then distributed to hundreds of friends and family on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

It’s as if all the rules of decorum for approaching strangers goes out the window just because someone is famous.

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Last year, former presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson penned an op-ed in The Washington Post on why selfies need to stop.

“The selfie stick ushers in a new, even worse and more dangerous era for the form,” Carson wrote. “The stick doesn’t just validate selfies by building a cottage industry around them. It also says, ‘Snap them everywhere!'”

The retired neurosurgeon called it an “obvious narcissism of endlessly photographing oneself and blasting it over social networks for others to admire.”

Some celebrities have pronounced “no selfie” rules with fans. Prince Harry last year rejected an Australian fan’s selfie request by telling the girl: “No, I hate selfies. Seriously, you need to get out of it [the habit]. I know you’re young. Selfies are bad. Just take a normal photograph!”

It’s happening in the sports world, too. Last year, August National banned cell phones on the course to limit the widespread practice of fan selfies and random phone noises.

Ashley Benson, star of “Pretty Little Liars,” was at a Korean spa when a fan joined her in her shower stall, wanting a photo. Benson had to grab her friend to block her from the fan. Beyonce was almost dragged off stage by a crazed fan. Actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith have been physically attacked by fans on the red carpet. Smith had to slap a reporter who kissed him.

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Other examples of fan entitlement go beyond harassing the celebrities in public to prying into their private lives, through hacking and stalking.

In 2014, numerous private iCloud photos of various celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, and Kirsten Dunst were hacked. Jennifer Lawrence called it a “sexual violation” in an interview with Vanity Fair. Erin Andrews, of course, was photographed through the wall of her hotel room by someone who thought he was owed these nude photos because she is famous and attractive.

Stars are spending more and more for security teams to keep fans at bay.

Aaron Cohen, the director of IMS Security in Hollywood, told The Hollywood Reporter that protecting families such as that of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie can cost close to $2 million per year.

“They [celebrities] get stalkers showing up, dropping off animals at your porch like it’s a gift to you, climbing into the trees to take pictures,” security expert Scott Feinstein told THR.

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Obsessive fans are given a platform with social media, but the problem is not their passion.  It’s when they go too far and fandom turns into heckling, pestering, and expecting the celebrity to provide them something.

Yes, the celebrity experience is a distant yet familiar experience. We think we know them, and most of us are happy to get an autograph at a public setting. But some of us go too far. Some grab Beyonce off the stage. Some hack photos. Some kiss stars. Some throw cameras in their faces during private moments or pressure them for photos in the shower.

They don’t owe us that. And we ought to have the decency and respect to act like it.