Celebrities Robbing Us of Recreation

Entertainers and their politics

Published on July 22, 2004 By JillUser In Current Events

The recent trend of entertainers using their venues to spread their political agendas really has me fed up. I am not a person who is disinterested in politics, I just don't want to be bombarded by it everywhere I turn. Everyone needs an escape from the "real world" and I am one who looks to music, movies and television for that recreational escape.

I resent entertainers spoiling my retreat with their opinions on who should run our country. I resent having my musical tastes tainted with political overtones. For example, I was raised listening to Linda Ronstadt's music. I have always enjoyed her voice but now when I hear Desparado I picture Michael Moore in a cowboy hat, sitting on a poor horse that is about to collapse under his immense girth. Not an enjoyable picture.

Why can't I sit back and enjoy a TV show or concert without the tension of political hostility looming? That is not what entertainment is about. If I want political commentary, I will listen to NPR or watch one of the many news shows on TV. Just as I wouldn't buy a ticket to listen to Bill Clinton sing, I don't want to buy a ticket to listen to a singer talk politics.

Politics are not the field of expertise for these entertainers. They have no more credentials in politics than my garbage man. I listen to what a political analyst has to say about politics and I listen to a singer sing, not vice versa. If my hair stylist subjected me to her political views while I was stuck in her chair getting my hair cut, I would find a new stylist. She might do great hair but I am not paying to be subjected to political crap being spewed at every venue. I just won't support it.

Comments

CS Guy

on Jul 22, 2004

Absolutely, Jill. And when entertainers break the social contract by inflicting their political views on us when they are supposed to be entertaining us there may be some backlash from the consumers. These entertainers need to realize that this is not a censorship of their voice, but an expression of the consumers' voice.

T-Man

on Jul 22, 2004

I thought everyone had an equal voice? Don't entertainers have just as much right to voice an opinion as you or as a politician?

CS Guy

on Jul 22, 2004

Don't entertainers have just as much right to voice an opinion as you or as a politician?

Yes, but not necessarily at a time and place that I have paid them to entertain.

dharmagrl

on Jul 22, 2004

Reply #2 By: T-Man - 7/22/2004 10:31:52 AM
I thought everyone had an equal voice? Don't entertainers have just as much right to voice an opinion as you or as a politician?

Yes, but if I pay to go hear someone sing...I don't want to hear them spout off their personal political perspective. Just as if I pay to go hear a politician speak...I really don't want to hear them sing.

Jill's right, too many celeb's are using their status to manipulate the media and get their personal political beliefs and ethics across.

Draginol

on Jul 22, 2004

They have EQUAL rights not extra rights. I'll happily listen to Linda Ronstadt talk about Michael Moore if she'll sit there and listen to my counter argument.

Zoologist03

on Jul 22, 2004

Some entertainers are extremely opinionated and use their position to make themselves heard.....it's just that, as you say, they shouldn't be spouting off when they are supposed to be doing their job......

~Zoo

JillUser

on Jul 22, 2004

they shouldn't be spouting off when they are supposed to be doing their job......

Exactly! I bet you couldn't keep a job waiting tables if you spent much of your time subjecting customers to your political views. You are being paid to take orders and serve food just like musicians are being paid to play their music and actors are being paid to play a role. If they want to spew their opinions, they can do it on their own time.

BlueDev

on Jul 22, 2004

You know, in the field I am going into (medicine) I don't think this would be appropriate. How do you think those celebrities would feel if their doctor, during their appointments when they have a very captive audience, pushed their political agenda on them? As a patient I would find that beyond inappropriate. And I think they wouldn't appreciate being lambasted that way either.

So why do they think it is okay to do it to us in a similar setting, ie. when we are a captive audience who is paying to be there? It has no place either.

OckhamsRazor

on Jul 22, 2004

Politics are not the field of expertise for these entertainers. They have no more credentials in politics than my garbage man.

This is the precedent the public sets. Entertainers are not held accountable for actual ability for the most part. Ronstadt isn't a bad singer in my professional opinion, so she makes a bad example for my point, but there are plenty of talentless hacks in all the entertainment fields that use their popularity with the public to venture forth their often *"limousine liberal" views on a public which for the most part can't anymore determine a well thought out political argument than they can determine a well painted artwork or a cleverly written song.

So how is it these entertainers can do this? We, the people, encourage it.

How?

WE give them that freedom every time we purchase their products based on completely subjective criteria.

We say "You don't have to be a really good _______, because we like the way you behave on stage", or "we like your choreography", or "we like your image", or "we dig your bohemian lifestyle" all of which have nothing at all to do with the thing they are "supposedly" selling. They sell whatever it is they supposedly sell, but what we we buy is their image. So what do we teach them? We teach them that it doesn't matter what they produce, political opinions included, as long as they maintain that image we're buying while doing it. The political opinion itself doesn't have to have any quality to it whatever. It just matters WHO says it.

Until people begin to think for themselves in greater numbers, and to at least TRY to learn a tad of objective knowledge about the entertainment fields they patronize, (if they can get to a point where they believe objective knowledge matters in the first place), this will continue.

*phrase picked up from http://www.instapunk.com in an article about this very subject.

JillUser

on Jul 23, 2004

Entertainers are not held accountable for actual ability for the most part

This is so true! If we encourage singers to go make movies (and totally stink at acting) just because we think their image is cool and we will buy into anything they do, why wouldn't they think they can sell their ideas on anything. Just like entertainers coming out with clothing lines and perfumes, hair products, etc. If we don't stand up and say "Hey, we love you singing but that is it!" they will keep thinking anything they do is going to fly with their fans.

CS Guy

on Jul 23, 2004

If we don't stand up and say "Hey, we love you singing but that is it!" they will keep thinking anything they do is going to fly with their fans.

That's exactly what has been happing with Linda, the Dixie Chicks, and Whoopi.

messybuu

on Jul 23, 2004

I don't mind if an entertainer gets political as long as they do it in an appropriate venue. That's why I'm bothered by what Linda did but not by what the Dixie Chicks (they said what they said in an interview, right?) and Whoopi did. If they're doing an interview or something else in which they're meant to express the person behind the service, then I'm all for it. That doesn't mean that people should be all right with what they say even then though.

JillUser

on Jul 23, 2004

That's why I'm bothered by what Linda did but not by what the Dixie Chicks (they said what they said in an interview, right?)

Oh you are so way off on that one! The Dixie Chicks were the worst of all. They were not only dissing the President at a concert but they were performing in another country. Going to a foreign soil and trash talking your own country's leaders is truly bad form.

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