Celebrity Politics

I feel that there are both positive and negative aspects of the line blurring between celebrity and politician. Obviously, if the general public votes for who is the most attractive candidate or support some kind of cause because their favorite celebrity supports it without actually knowing much about the cause itself, there is a problem. I think ordinary people deserve more credit than that, though. Most people suspect that celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, may care about a certain cause, but are going out of their way to support it in order to receive positive press. People aren't naive to the concept of credibility built through selfless service and promoting charity. If celebrities really were so selfless in their efforts towards charity, they probably wouldn't promote their participation in the cause nearly as much as they do. I think that when celebrities are linked to causes that are in need of support, it is not a bad thing to promote the cause because of that connection to fame. If a famous person can bring help and funds to a good cause, that link should be exploited to its fullest extent. The only drawback of that will be personal to the celebrity if they make a mistake in voicing their publicized viewpoints, which will only subtract from their credibility, not the credibility of the cause.

On the other hand, I do think it is harmful when politicians become more like famous celebrities than policy-making citizens. When politicians become famous, there is a dangerous tendency of media to portray them in a certain way or for the general public to view them in a certain way according to how the politician appears, speaks, carries him or herself, etc. That's all well and good until people start caring more about the politicians physique than about their policies, views, and plans for the future. Research shows that usually the most attractive candidate in a presidential election gets elected. Degree of attractiveness should not be the main factor, in fact- should not be a factor at all, in the process for choosing a candidate to represent you in government. People need their beliefs and right protected by candidates who appeal the closest to those values, not candidates that look pretty on camera. Again, that distinction is the people's responsibility to look out for themselves instead of accepting images and exterior impressions at face value.