celebrity politics

It’s becoming progressively harder to buy a magazine, turn on your tv, or cruise the internet without seeing the face of someone directly linked to the world of politics. The first “celebrity-politician” that comes to mind is the stunningly beautiful Angelina Jolie (Weisberg). The list of organizations she partakes in seems to be endless, and her desperation for worldly good is evident in her everyday life. When digging into specific work that Jolie has done, one can find her field missions to over 20 struggling countries, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, “dedicated to eradicating extreme rural poverty, and her countless monetary donations to humanitarian organizations around the globe.” Some questions that come to my mind include; Does Angelina truly care in the humanitarian effort, or does creating a positive public image come into play? Is Mrs. Jolie even qualified to stick her nose is such prominent affairs?

The problem we face with celebrity-politicians is not only the dangerous influences they have over the general population, but also their evil twin, the “politician-celebrity” (Weisberg). Although I do not consider myself “political” in the least, it’s almost hard not to notice the swirl of politics in the news. Often we see the first lady adorning the cover of the latest Vogue or People Magazine. The fine line between celebrity and politician is becoming skewed and practically non-existent. We’ve begun to see musical artists writing political causes into their lyrics or wear clothing that displays their political views. If Oprah is seen wearing a shirt with Obama’s face in the middle, people are going to think, “If Oprah supports Obama, then he must be worth my support as well!” These celebrities who choose to flaunt their political views know the influence they have on those around them. The unfortunate part in all of this is that many of these celebrities have no idea what they are talking about. Instead of doing extensive research on a presidential candidate, many people are just supporting whoever is on their favorite celebrity’s facebook page. Putting this much trust into celebrity opinion is very dangerous because it eludes to the fact that normal people are unable to think for themselves and are turning to the uninformed and unintelligent.

http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/2-angelina-jolie