Should Celebrities Put Themselves Into Politics?

According to Webster dictionary, a celebrity is defined as a famous or celebrated person. Celebrities serves as role models, heroes, cultural commentators, charity spokespeople, and political candidates. An exploration of celebrity culture uncovers changing conceptions of legitimacy, authority, and credibility at play in our culture (The Hedgehog Review, 2005) .There is a celebrity culture that has engulfed Canada, and indeed North America for a while now because celebrity culture is alluring, even to those who are embarrassed to admit it. There has been increasing infiltration of celebrity culture into politics. The media might have deliberately and unwittingly contributed in perpetuating this celebrity culture.

Chris Hedges’ “American Psychosis” is one author’s explanation behind the perceived degradation of America, attributing this decay mostly to a nationwide engrossment in the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Hedges further purports that the American government itself is behind making famous people front-and-center at all times, so that the populace has no chance to focus on the nation’s actual problems. He suggests that this reality TV state-of-mind turns life into a “world of unadulterated competition” where our attention-craving society discards the losers “like Styrofoam boxes that held junk food”. Those ‘excess’ human beings who cannot keep up with the endless quest for notoriety, he contends, end up unemployed, imprisoned, or homeless, because the only worth humans have in the modern world is their ability to make headlines. The final piece of his article is dedicated to fomenting some kind of vengeful revolution against celebrity culture, in which the public purges itself of inconsequential distractions so that they can once again separate illusion from reality.

In an age were social media sits at the forefront of global connectivity and communication, the political arena has never had been more exposed the unpredictable nature of public engagement and response. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the formality and ceremony of traditional political engagement has, to an extent, been abandoned. Throughout the course of the 2016 US presidential election, celebrities have used their status and personal platform to voice their stance in the debate and name their preferred candidate. This essay will explore: The current trends of celebrity rhetoric in the current campaign and how each respective party compares; how celebrity translates or carries authority and creditability in this arena; and how social media and digital platforms have been employed to share, spread and generate public debate based on this form of rhetoric. Therefore measuring the public response, success and criticism towards current celebrity endorsements.

Some of us would say “No”, but the majority of us would leap on the prospect of living the life of a celebrity. Who doesn’t want the perks of vacationing all over the world, having someone wait on you hand and foot, receiving freebies from designers and all the other perks that come with being a celebrity? The question is do we want the downfalls that come with fame? Can we handle vicious tabloid scrutiny, fabrications, and assumptions? Being a celebrity has its perks, but at what cost? Fame and money can be the root of all evil. Never the less, we are contributing to the madness when we purchase tabloid magazines, watch entertainment shows that follow celebrity activities and judge them for their actions.

Should public figure like actors, singers, arties, speaker and other individuals that are look upon be more involve or stay out of politics because of its big impacts they can have upon a big group of individuals.

Television promotes candidates’ image over their policies. Instead of the candidates discussing what they are going to do for the country, they simply argue why they are better than each other. The candidates being televised gives the audience a sense of knowing them, which causes them to lose the audience's interest in political ideals and to be “judged by standards formerly used to assess rock singers and movie stars”(Source B). Instead of the candidates

In addition, ideally, the president should not be someone who primarily desires the fame and power that comes with the presidency. Instead, they should be someone who truly desires the good of the country, even if it will make them less popular. Take George Washington, for example. He was already a respected and well-liked leader, but he did not want to assume the position of president. In his inaugural speech, he said, “On the one hand, I was summoned by my Country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love, from a retreat which I had chosen with the fondest predilection, and, in my flattering hopes, with an immutable decision, as the asylum of my declining years…” (Washington). He then went on to express how insufficient he felt for the task of being president.

Everyone has an opinion when it comes to politics or government, but the higher status people with opinions in media tend to be the most important. People that hold a high status in media have a greater chance of influencing people compared to someone like your next door neighbor. Talk show hosts, artists, musicians, and actors usually share their opinion and can easily sway thousands of people to believe what

According to Source C, “Our national politics has become a competition for images or between images, rather than between ideals.” This idea can lead to consequences because the person who has a better personality is not guaranteed to be the one who is more capable of leading a country. When the unqualified person is chosen to lead the country, then its citizens will suffer. In source B, the author states, “ Because of television’s celebrity system, Presidents are losing their distinctiveness as social actors and hence are often judged by standards formerly used to assess rock singers and movie stars.” Chances are people who are rock singers and movie stars do not know how to run a country because they focus only on their own image and prioritize that above everything else. In the case of an election, the president should be someone who holds up to the ideals of democracy. With the help of the television, candidate's actions are monitored at all times. But this influence can potentially transform the election into a personality contest that defeats the purpose of a fair

Celebrities have taken on a unique role in the twenty-first century, one that is more extreme than the entertainment sector has ever known. Celebrity status is now almost forming an extra limb to the bureaucracy of the world, and their fame makes them all politicians at one point or another. In 2009, the Journal of Business Ethics published an article titled, “Ethics of Celebrities and Their Increasing Influence in the Twenty-first Century Society.” Within the article, they outline the powers held by modern day celebrities in the following quote. “The global influence of celebrities in the 21st century extends far beyond the entertainment sector. During the recent Palestinian presidential elections, the Hollywood actor Richard Gere broadcast a televised message to voters in the region and stated, ‘Hi, I’m Richard Gere, and I’m speaking for the entire world.’” The power goes beyond simple elections as well. Emma Watson spearheads a feminist movement known as “He for She”, in which she asks that men around the world pledge to promote the ideals of gender equality and fairness. It is important to note that the “He for She” movement has generated its velocity from the stage of the United Nations, and at the hand of a celebrity, not a world leader. This is not to say

The growing connection between politics and Hollywood has happened for a number of reasons, in a somewhat cyclical fashion. Politicians need Hollywood stars to support their campaigns because celebrities are useful in fundraising attempts and recognition. They have the advantages of fame, wealth, and can easily command press attention. In return, celebrities endorse candidates whose policies are beneficial to their industry. For example, while Clinton was in office he argued for “industry self-regulation and a television rating system, as opposed to formal government regulation” (Ormand and West 38). For this and other reasons, Hollywood stars donated large sums of money to Democratic candidates in return. In 2000, Hollywood contributed $20 million to Democrats as opposed to the $13 million that was contributed to the less Hollywood-friendly Republican party (Ormand and West 40).

Have you ever wondered what influences us to behave the way we do? Look a certain way? Or even looked for an explanation to what causes us to apply a certain perspective regarding personal and controversial issues? One of the answers to these questions may revolve around the influence we absorb from celebrities. A definitive term for celebrity is an iconic figure to a category or group who has achieved success in one or multiple aspects of their lives. As a result, these individuals have drawn in publicity and fame. Over the years with the advances in media and other forms of communication, celebrities have become topics of discussion worldwide, rather if it’s at school, with colleagues or at the dinner table, it is fair to say that

Many have thought the entertainment world should be separate from the world of politics. Some celebrities go on to be involved in politics, such as Ronald Reagan and Sonny Bono, but rarely does an entertainer command a large sphere of influence in the world of entertainment and politics simultaneously. While entertainers can move the masses, their voice is usually discarded among politicians. In addition to this, many have highlighted the negative influence of the entertainment industry, and particularly rock music, on American culture. Often, it is seen as a corrupting force that leads people astray. For many people, rock and roll seems to highlight all that is wrong with American popular culture. These critics fail to take note of

Being a celebrity exposes them to the public, and many celebrities take advantage of this in many ways. from endorsing sportswear to sunglasses, sometimes you even see them supporting politicians. Regardless of their interest this is important because they are trusted by their fans and are believed to be a person with morals and integrity. Sometimes you can turn on

In campaigning, media coverage plays a large role for candidates. They use the media to make their name heard and image seen. “Nearly everything a candidate does is geared toward the media, especially television” (Stuckey, 1999, p. 99) Candidates make appearances on talk shows,