"We Are Morons"

30 August 2004



Celebrity Endorsements are Usually Worthless

As the election in the US draws closer to some sort of end, more and more people in the entertainment world are making their opinions known. In most cases, what they think about the issues of the day is irrelevant. Alice Cooper, who was Marilyn Manson long before Marilyn was, summed it up when Reuters quoted him as saying, "If you are listening to a rock star in order to get your voting information on who to vote for, you are a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons." The great flaw in democracy, more opinions aren't necessarily better opinions.

And it is very important to distinguish here between celebrities who use their fame to share the spotlight with various problems and issues from those who push a definite political or social agenda. The first is a legitimate use of fame, while the second is merely egotism.

As an example, the Secret Service recently arrested actor Danny Glover (Mel Gibson's partner in the "Lethal Weapon" films) for protesting outside the Sudanese embassy. "We want an end to the hostility," Mr. Glover said before being handcuffed. Now, if John Q. Public had done the exact same thing, no one would have reported it. And Mr. Glover is not pressing any particular policy, unless an end to genocide is a policy (one considers it a goal to be achieved by whatever means one can). He also said, "We must continue to put pressure on the Sudanese government. We must continue to demand justice and we must continue to demand peace for the people of Darfur." None of this is a policy prescription, it is advertising in the broadest and best sense.

Compare that to the silliness of the celebrity endorsements during the primaries. The Hill reported that Michael Bolton, Tony Bennett and Barry Manilow were financial backers of Dick Gephardt (which explains much for those who presume "John and Paul" leads to "Steve and Sid" not "George and Ringo"). Ben Affleck, who really should focus on his career and not politics, sent Dennis Kucinich money. God help any nation that takes its political cues from a man whose professional sense led him to believe appearing in "Gigli" would help his career (unless the paycheck was really big).

It is true that the experts are often mistaken. These are people who have spent years studying, arguing and analyzing, and they are still wrong sometimes. Actors, musicians and other "personalities" have done none of that, so there is no reason to presume they have any idea of what policies are truly needed.

To understand just how foolish the idea of celebrity endorsements is, a thought experiment is in order. Would any teenager appreciate a hip-hop album recommended by President Cheney? Would any self-respecting romance reader pick up a bodice-ripper endorsed by Kofi Annan? Would Roger Ebert really face serious competition for movie reviews from Alan Greenspan? Sometimes, the experts are right, and things should be left to them.


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


Home

Google
WWW Kensington Review



Search:
Keywords: