Posted by
SonOfTed on Sunday, December 09, 2007 12:37:38 PM
It’s like mixing oil & water, really:
Celebrities who consort with enemies of America and criticize our government leaders really get on my nerves. They are among the most privileged of all of us, richer after several years of work than most of us will ever be. With egos to match their inflated incomes, they convince themselves that they are somehow “giving back” to society by voicing their often uninformed strong opinions.
They do have this right under our free speech rights.
But instead of participating with the U.S.O. shows and supporting our soldiers overseas and their families here at home, quite a few of them convince themselves that opposition to our country’s policy is the best manner in which to exercise those rights. More often than not, they become part of the problem instead of lending a hand to the greatest government in the world.
Why are they more interested in making a name for themselves than being part of the solution?
Oprah Winfrey’s recent road trip in support of Barack Obama is a clear demonstration of how weak celebrity endorsements have become. Other than Oprah, very few will do anything other than “offer a verbal endorsement” or send their preferred candidates a check. And although I really like Oprah, I sincerely doubt that her stumping for Obama will accomplish anything more than attracting a crowd of curious autograph seekers. Most people are proud of the fact that their vote can’t be bought… that they’re going to throw their support behind the best person for the job.
We have to be extremely careful, however, and extremely vigilant as election years approach and the rich and elite begin speaking.
Celebrities do not have access to the same intelligence as our government leaders, thus their conclusions are apt to be a bit flawed (not to mention biased by personal ideology). They may not know, for example, that Saddam Hussein was giving kickbacks to corrupt people in the U.N. in exchange for their votes. By fleecing his own people and taking advantage of the greed present in so many ambitious politicians from the U.S. and other nations, he was able to stir up chaos as he began the first stages of rebuilding his million man army and the renewal of his pursuit of nuclear weapons to use against Israel and other NATO allies.
Thus I don’t think that the celebrities who step forward should be given a free pass.
Yes they have the right to speak their minds and yes they have a right to be extremely committed to a cause that they care dearly about.
But we have to remember that they are actors and actresses… and in this country EACH and every one of US has the EXACT SAME right to be heard as they do.
It bothers me greatly that these people are often allowed to read a prepared, carefully designed speech that is intended to stir up the maximum emotional impact possible. Then they turn around, walk away, and return to their mansions protected by huge fences and expensive security systems.
If celebrities truly want to criticize our government and its democratically elected leaders, then they should be required to hold a press conference after they finish their pretty speeches and field questions from the press in the same manner as the President or Secretary of State does.
I for one would like to hear them take and respond to reporters’ questions in an unscripted, open forum. After all, we the people have a right to know how informed (or uninformed) they are on these oh-so-important issues of our time before reaching a conclusion as to whether we support or don’t support their position.
Don’t we?