Politically active celebrities

[J.R.]

It's always kind of irked me when celebrities endorse political candidates or controversial causes. They're not real people; they're paid obscene ammounts of money to play make believe, so who are they to tell us norms how to vote? Also, most politically outspoken celebs make crappy movies, so their opinion does not matter. Take Alec Baldwin. He hasn't been in a good movie since The Hunt For Red October, twelve years ago.

On the other hand, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis campaigned for President Bush, and in retrospect that was fitting, since they both know a thing or two about killing terrorists. But that doesn't erase the fact that they were in Batman And Robin and The Bonfire Of The Vanities, respectively.

[Steven Millan]

             I thoroughly enjoyed the way The Rock played both sides of the political card in 2000,first promting himself at the Republican convention(where he happily boasted about himself,and nothing more but about himself),and then appearing at the Democratic convention,angering the Republicans for using their stand as much of a self-promotion vehicle,as much as he did with the Democrats.
            Both of those partys' top political candidates were extremely,extremely lame-o,for that political year,BTW.

[Squishy]

Join Arnold! Hear a message from Arnold! Schwa-chan (as he is known in Japan where he hawks caffine-laden "health" drinks) is plugging away on behalf of a California "after-school" program initiative. Kindergarten Cop!

"Law & Order" uber-babe Jill Hennessy did a commercial recently for some political cause, but I forget what it was because I was too busy wondering what she cooks like naked.

But honestly, actors and actresses are human beings like everyone else; their profession shouldn't bar them from politics. Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston, Ed Asner, Sonny...uh...Bono...um, "Bono"...you get the idea. True, Hollywooden nutjobs who already have broad media access can abuse it to push their own wiggy agendas and beliefs, but sometimes they can do good as well.

Actually, the reverse is also true: political figures and pundits have become a new form of celebrity, which I do see as a very bad thing. When politics become exclusively a form of entertainment, we are totally screwed. Political debate should have more importance than the outcome of a sitcom episode or a scripted "wrestling" match.

[jmc]

What bugs me about it is that their endorsement really shouldn't mean anymore than my endorsement, or anyone else's.  Maybe even less, because it's unlikely that they will be adversely affected by political or economic changes.

[Dano]

What bugs me about it is that their endorsement really shouldn't mean anymore than my endorsement, or anyone else's. Maybe even less, because it's unlikely that they will be adversely affected by political or economic changes.
*****  Sad fact is that "celebrity awe" is a very real, very damaging fact of American life.  How else could Hillary Clinton get elected to ANYTHING.  I think it's a holdover to Old World royalty.  Something instinctive inside us as a people urges us to follow the blithering twit with the funny hair who is in the public eye all the time.  Unfortunately, now we are listening to the court jesters which may be even worse than royalty.

Of course no thinking person would allow a movie star's endorsement to effect their vote any more than they'd allow a pro football player's endorsement to impact their appreciation of 18th Century French poetry.  But a lot of people don't think all the time.

[Mofo Rising]

I don't mind if celebrities are politically active.  Doesn't sway me one way or the other.  But then I don't follow the lives of celebrities like the media wants me too.  Could care less what Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger are up to, let alone which way they're voting this year.

No, the thing that irks me is when movies have a thinly veiled political agenda behind them.  Take the movie JUST CAUSE.  It opens with Sean Connery having the most asinine debate with George Plimpton about the death penalty.  It doesn't contain any real arguments.  It begins from the hack screenwriter's belief that the death penalty is wrong and what he imagines anybody for it must sound like.  Awful.  I didn't watch the rest of the movie.

Or the movie IT'S THE RAGE.  Interesting ensemble cast, so I picked it up.  Turns out the entire thing is an argument against gun ownership.  Why didn't they say that on the back of the box?  I thought I was going to watch a real movie, not be talked down to by some dumbass Hollywood director.

I don't have this problem if a movie has an out-and-out political agenda.  Or if a movie handles it subtext head-on and with grace.  But when it's done badly, you've got a recipe for some of the worst movies ever made.

[J.R.]

It's The Rage is awful. There's also Citizen Ruth and If These Walls Could Talk, which depict anyone even remotely pro-life as a complete raving idiot.

Actually, America is really the only culture that celebrates celebrity so. Is it because we need something to bow down before? I remember wall-to-wall coverage of the anniversary of JFK Jr.'s death. Isn't there real news to be covered?

[Dano]

JR:  Actually, America is really the only culture that celebrates celebrity so.

*****  JR I have to TOTALLY disagree with you here!  Have you ever seen a British newspaper??  Japan also comes close to equalling our mania for celebrity.  Italy and India are two other countries that go nuts for that stuff.  Then consider countries that still have gigantic billboards with pictures of Mao on them every fifty yards.  Go to any south American country and see how people act when you mention a famous soccer player's name.  

We're bad, I'll grant you, but we are not alone.

[Squishy]

"Sad fact is that "celebrity awe" is a very real, very damaging fact of American life. How else could Hillary Clinton get elected to ANYTHING. I think it's a holdover to Old World royalty. Something instinctive inside us as a people urges us to follow the blithering twit with the funny hair who is in the public eye all the time. Unfortunately, now we are listening to the court jesters which may be even worse than royalty."

Indeed. Just look at George The Second.

"There's an old saying in Tennessee....(long pause)...I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee...(pause)...that says, fool me once, shame on...(long pause)...shame on you. Fool me...(very long pause, confused worried look)...you can't get fooled again."
--Our Vegetable-In-Chief

[AndyC]

I'd have to agree with the notion that some people are far too interested in celebrities - what they do in their private lives, what they think about things, how they vote, their love lives, etc.

Sure the media exposure makes it awfully tempting to abuse your fame and get on a soapbox, but it's when you start listening to  the morons who attach extra value to your opinion that things go wrong. Fame does not mean someone automatically knows what they're talking about. Really, why should I give a rat's ass what a singer has to say about anything other than music, or what an actor does outside of his movies?

That was one of the things that really p**sed me off any time I watched Politically Incorrect. Somebody who really understood an issue would be debating against some bubbleheaded actress who clearly had the audience behind her in spite of not having a clue what she was talking about. They were taking wise-ass remarks as equal to solid arguments.

[Squishy]

Very much agreed there, AndyC. I tuned in once, which turned out to be the worst possible moment--one similar to what you described. Political satire is great, but while the reduction of serious political issues to a stand-up-comedian version of "Crossfire" may have made for laughs, anyone who really cared about the issues probably got fed up with it immediately. (Not that "Crossfire" treats the issues much better...just with less wit.)

[J.R.]

I concur on Politically Incorrect. Real, knowledgable experts were shot down before they could complete a sentence in favor of one-liners from dim actresses and the king of all that is wrong in this country, Bill Maher. I wouldn't be surprised if he favored child abuse. I once saw an episode where he was drooling all over Jennifer Tilly, remarking on how astoundingly intelligent she is and applauding when she said, "Bush isn't smart,".

During the 2000 elections Gore was actually so desperate for votes he had Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affliction CALLING PEOPLE to get them to vote for him. If I were behind a candidate and one of them called me supporting that candidate I'd switch my vote ASAP.

And Squish, we get it. You don't like Bush. Very on-the-nose.

[jmc]

Actually, I think CITIZEN RUTH was sorta even-handed....at least more so than most movies.  They at least made fun of the pro-choice activists somewhat, showing that they were less interested in Ruth exercising a choice than in wanting her to get an abortion.

[Molly]

> Fame does not mean someone automatically knows what
> they're talking about. Really, why should I give a rat's ass
> what a singer has to say about anything other than music,
> or what an actor does outside of his movies?

I agree!  Why would I care how Justin Timberlake or Ben Affleck are voting?  Just because thier famous doesn't mean I actually value anything that they say.  Honestly, I really don't care if they give to a charity or if they help out with charity work (even if it's only their celebrity stature that generates more money or people) because their doing it for a good cause.  If they use thier fame to fight for something (Michael J Fox), or if they are to become an average joe like me & you to get something done then great.  It crosses the line when all they do is get on tv and downtalk to us like they know exactly what's best for the world.

What's really funny is when they're sole purpose for being at a political rally (or whatever) is to be a decoration.  "See, Sharon Stone is supporting me! Vote for me!"    HA HA HA...give me a break.....

I do, however, admire the celebrities that take an "real" intrest in politics (like Jesse Ventura).  Rather than those who only want to pust their own agendas (abortion, disarmament..ect..) or just to be seen.

[AndyC]

Quite right. There are some celebrities who know what they're talking about, because they learned and gained experience in an area. Jesse Ventura is a good example. He started with municipal politics and worked his way up, being elected governor and doing the job. I would no longer class him as a politically active celebrity, but as a politician, since his political career came after his wrestling career. He's proven himself to be more than a famous face. The same can be said of the late Sonny Bono, Fred 'Gopher' Grandy and Ronald Reagan, among others. Like them or not, they earned the right to be called politicians.

I think the difference is in actually putting yourself in the position of authority and making the tough decisions, rather than making off-the-cuff remarks on a talk show between movie shoots. It's very safe to be opinionated when you aren't responsible.