Celebrity Endorsements: Does Anyone Really Care?
Posted 11/28/2007 ET
There have been so many debates and interviews and columns and profiles and polls, it’s hard to believe the election for president is still about 11 months away. Recently, celebrity endorsements have been making news, with Oprah Winfrey saying she would campaign for Barack Obama and Barbra Streisand making the not-so-stunning announcement that she was supporting Hillary Clinton.
There are reasons, of course, why candidates welcome such help. First, there’s the bonanza of free publicity. With so many names and faces vying for attention, what could be better than the burst of news such endorsements bring? There’s also the burst of money these high-profile celebs can bring in themselves and attract from others. Then there’s the extra attention and excitement these stars engender when they appear at a candidate’s political events. It’s far easier to attract a crowd in Des Moines if a big TV, movie or recording star is standing next to the politician.
Putting those obvious benefits aside, the question remains: do these endorsements really translate into votes? Does anyone decide which candidate to choose based on the recommendation of a TV talk show host or a singer/actress? If any group of citizens is uniquely unqualified to tell someone else how to vote, it’s those of us who live in the sheltered, privileged arena of celebrityhood. It’s one thing to buy an ab machine because Chuck Norris recommends it (he’s in good shape, isn’t he?) or a grill because George Foreman’s name is on it (he’s a great guy, so it must be a great grill!), but the idea of choosing the Leader of the Free World based on the advice of someone who lives in the cloistered world of stardom seems a bit loony to me.
This is America, and we celebrities have just as much right as anyone else to speak up about any issue. The problem is that more attention is paid to what we say because we’re well known. But why should that matter? O.J. Simpson is one of the world’s best-known celebrities, but I can’t imagine anyone following his lead in a voting booth.
I suppose anything that gets people engaged in the political process is a good thing, but the idea that a gold record, a top-ten TV show or an Oscar translates into some sort of political wisdom doesn’t make much sense to me. Trust me, one’s view of the world isn’t any clearer from the back seat of a limo.
9 comments:
He knows how to say more than just "Yes, there are 3 Ts!" ??
Seriously though, he brings up some great points. Celebrity endorsements are worrisome because of the philistine nature of our society. How many people will see that Oprah is backing Obama and say, "Well, if he's good enough for Oprah, he's good enough for me!" without learning what he, or any of the other candidates for that matter, stand for?
I agree. The majority of people are either asleep or at the mall. They have no clue what's actually going on because they don't do their homework.
The good news is, these mall people are less likely to vote (unless MTV or Puff Daddy tells them to) because that would require real, actual effort on their part, and that's certainly no fun.
I'll never forget when Pat was on a sports talk radio show along with Darius Rucker. Pat started to spout off "facts" about Major League Baseball, specifically the Reds. After what became a heated discussion in which Darius basically stole his manhood, Darius finished him off with the "stick to calling out letters" blast. Pat was speechless. Ever since then, I can only picture him crying himself to sleep over what he could have been.
In high school football news, Calvary Baptist has fired head coach Tim Blackston. This is bittersweet because he was a quality guy. You will appreciate that he graduated from BC. While he was a great teacher and guy, he was a lousy head football coach. That is most likely the result of him going to BC. With that said, you might want to start wetting your pants BC fans, Calvary football is coming back. No more 1-9 and 1-8 seasons. Let's play some football ladies.
I know who you are, calvaryfan.
I heard. It was a good run though. I got a few good natured BC blasts in before someone figured me out. Funny enough, you might be just about the only person who knows me by name off of this blog. I bet if you were to mention my name, only a couple of people would know who I was.
Anyway, congrats on actually winning football games this season. I forgot what it was like.
The Darius Rucker reference blew your cover. I know we all post anonymously or at least semi-anonymously, so I won't out you in this forum. I just give myself a pat on the back for figuring it out first. Donnie and Shane are hereby acquitted.
Differing opinions are what make this blog work. If everyone agreed on everything, this would be really boring.
Even though your love of middle school football skews your frame of reference, we appreciate all our readers and those willing to share their thoughts.
I heard they are making a new horror movie called "Calvaryfan."
It only lasts 10 minutes because the serial killer is pretty easy to spot from the get go: he always dons a pair of white K-Swiss shoes, a wife beater, gold chains, and all black fitted wool baseball caps turned sideways.
He can usually be found with his family at the Golden Corral all-you-can-eat steak buffet Wednesday nights after bible study. His modus operandi is drowning his victims' bodies in the Casey Canal after baptizing them.
Please never use Golden Corral in a snooty context. That place made me a man in high school.
The Golden Corral reference is not meant to be snooty. The food there is great. It is used because it is a "family" restaurant where no alcohol is served and is thus a hot spot for Calvary/SCPS folks on Friday and Saturday night.
Post a Comment