Celebrities are an interesting group, they usually entertain us with movies, songs, and sporting events, but now they have taken it upon themselves to lecture the public about politics. It seems that almost every celebrity has something to say about the political world, and many believe that it is their “responsibility” to use their platform to address social issues; this is nothing short of laughable. Anyone who believes that celebrities care about the average person are mistaken, they do not.
When a celebrity talks about a certain issue or endorses a political figure, one must ask, why? Many would say that they were not always superstars and they haven’t forgotten their humble beginnings. While this may have some element of truth, they are so far removed from being just another average person and they are hilariously out of touch.
The first example is Taylor Swift, she is politically active and usually sounds off about whatever issue she feels needs attention. Can anyone honestly say that she can relate to a teacher, or a fast-food worker, or plumber? The answer is a resounding no. One will hear a celebrity rail against the “evil 1%” and how “the elites” don’t care about people, but the irony in that is astounding. They always speak about issues like they are not part of the “1% problem” and it only exposes their hypocrisy.
Next up, Seth MacFarlane; a famous TV writer and the mind behind shows “Family Guy”, “American Dad”, “The Cleveland Show”, and “The Orville”. He uses his platform to preach about climate change and his hatred of gasoline cars. This may seem innocent on the surface, but he owns a private jet, which uses far more fuel in a few flights than the average car does in a few drives and he either does not know that his jet is part of the problem or simply doesn’t care. Further irony comes in the form of some of his characters from these shows made specifically to be his soap box for these issues, characters made to coerce the public to agree with him, while MacFarlane himself is exempt from helping to curb climate change.
Finally, NBA superstar, LeBron James, he is a vocal advocate of equal rights and fights for equality. Once again, shining on the surface, but the things that he also supports by way of his business practices are horrifying. Yes, he protests racism and inequality and that is admirable, but his dealings with China tell a vastly different story. LeBron has rightfully used is star power and spoken many times about the horrific acts of police brutality in America. Unfortunately, when atrocities happen in China (whom he has deals with to further his brand), he falls silent. General Manager Daryl Morrey spoke out in support of the Hong Kong protesters via Twitter, James said that Morrey was “either misinformed or not really educated on the situation”. He then clarified by saying that his issue was with the timing of Morrey’s statements and how he “could have waited a week to send it”, James (among other players) had lost some endorsement deals because of Morrey’s tweets and he was frustrated. LeBron continues to further his brand in China and has been suspiciously quiet about the Chinese government incarcerating people over their religion and their pro-democracy views. Ironic.
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These are just a few of numerous examples of the hypocrisy. Celebrities live in their own bubble where they can say or do almost anything with minimal consequences and they have the audacity to tell people how to live or what to believe. Bear in mind that this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bad people, it just means that their opinions should be taken with a grain of salt, just like any average Joe. In all seriousness, they do live in a bubble and they are out of touch, there is no bigger recent example than their social distancing/stay home pleas to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the funniest moments came from the star of “Wonder Woman”, Gal Gadot, implored the public to stay home and that “we’re all in this together”. It was met with justified backlash, as she and other celebrities sang the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. For those who don’t know it’s a song about living in a world free of possessions, and peace. That added insult to injury for those who have lost family members or jobs during COVID. Another ridiculous celebrity moment? Pharrell Williams the singer of the hit song “Happy”. He urged his followers on social media to donate to hospitals and to start giving more, yes that is correct, the man worth $150 million thinks the public should give more.
These are the same people who think they have a “responsibility” to use their platforms to talk about the big issues. These are not people worth listening to, their opinions hold no weight and they have repeatedly shown that they are hypocrites who care only for their own interests and are comically out of touch with society. In fact, the only celebrities that are worth listening to are the ones who tell other celebrities to stay out of politics.
Photograph: Reuters
Notables like Mark Wahlberg and Ricky Gervais who have told-off other famous people for getting too involved in politics and sharing opinions to sway their fans into believing as they do. Wahlberg has been outspoken that it is not a celebrity’s place to lecture the public on the big issues and who could forget Ricky Gervais’ speech at the Golden Globes where he tore apart celebrities’ views and humorously told them to stop talking about politics. All that aside, nobody should ever get their views from celebrities, it’s important to do research and make educated decisions on issues. It is not Hollywood’s job to spoon feed the public with their viewpoints, it’s time to take their opinions and beliefs lightly, the public can make their own decisions.
Have an opposing viewpoint to this opinion? Let us know. All views are welcomed. Send your thoughts to our Editorial Staff – Editor Anna Proulx aproulx@student.dean.edu or Dean Daily Faculty Advisor, Professor John Rooke jrooke@dean.edu