Political Celebrities...Do They Matter?
By Thomas D. Segel (02/19/06)
Harlingen, Texas, February 18, 2006: There was an article in the February 17 edition of AskMen.com. that could stir some strong debate. It is titled “Hollytics: From Hollywood To Politics”. The article addresses the role of celebrities in today’s divided political world. It is writer Jake Brennan’s contention that when celebrities take a political position, it has more weight than if other citizens or public figures present the same issue.
“Let’s not be naive here”, he says. “When it comes to being heard, some citizens are more equal than others. Editorials criticize public policy every day to no particular fanfare, but when Sean Penn spouts off about George W. Bush’s Iraq policies in a full page letter in the Washington Post, the entertainment world - and, in turn, a very large public - takes notice.”
But, is this observation correct? A strong argument can be made that what any actor, Rock Star or “B” Grade Movie Queen has to pronounce on any political issue has little impact on how people perceive that particular topic.
There hasn’t been any significant examination or even an abundance of polling on Hollywood political involvement, but two attempts to explore the subject are worth mentioning. They are dated polls sponsored by CNN and Fox News.
A CNN poll in 2004 pointed out that only 24% of the American public was interested in hearing what celebrities have to say on political issues, particularly the war. A large majority, 68%, indicated they would like those from Hollywood to keep their opinions to themselves. The most important finding, however, was that 87% of the people in America claim no celebrities can change their minds or positions on the war.
A Fox News poll conducted in 2003 is even more revealing. It claims that only 5% of the public pays much attention to what celebrities have to say related to politics. It further indicates that 79% of the population says celebrity activists have little or no impact on their votes.
Even with those public response indicators available there still seems to be an increase in political commentary by the Hollywood figures of both the right and left of the political spectrum.
Actor Gary Sinise, who currently stars in the CBS Television series CSI New York, had his opinion featured in a NewsMax.com article on February 14, written by James Hirsen. In the article Sinise is quoted as saying “The U.S. media present a completely opposite view of what is really happening in Iraq, highlighting the negative and ignoring the positive.”
In the NewsMax article Sinise speaks of his trips to Iraq and the high morale he observes among the troops. He has seen them, not only in combat situations, but doing important work in hospitals and schools. He talks about Americans pulling Iraqis from under bombed trucks and delivering lamps to peoples homes.
He also reports how he spoke to a journalist and asked the writer about the media coverage saying, “Why, if you’re going to be so aggressive with depicting American troops in a negative manner, why not be just as aggressive to show the heroism of our service members?” Sinise concludes his remarks saying the reporter paused and then he said, “Well, bad news sells.” That was the journalist’s only response.
When the military community was solicited concerning the Sinise story and celebrity activism, there seemed to be little interest in even commenting on the Hollywood involvement. Of several hundred people contacted, only two offered any view on celebrity politics and both of those related to the Gay Sinise words of support for American troops.
Norm Hatch, a former Marine combat correspondent from Alexandria, Virginia says, “Gary Sinise aside, I am happy that because of his trips to Iraq he has become deeply involved in the welfare of the troops. However, his attack on the national news gatherers, especially TV is not well thought out for a person in his position. You may remember that all of the major anchorpersons made several week long trips to Iraq to investigate the progress in schools, infrastructure repair, maintenance and a myriad of other subjects all of which were put on the air, good or bad, in addition to the daily news.
Hatch concludes his remarks noting “The real problem is that the networks a long time ago gave up making investigative documentaries in half hour and hour lengths, because the audiences had such short attention span.”
He feels the public switched to other television show and killed a very important learning tool. “That is why, so called good coverage, of Iraq is not as much as many would like it to be.”
Greg Johnson, of State College, Pennsylvania summed up the whole debate for the military community in one paragraph.
“I continue to hold to my notion that our media celebrities too often mistake their fame for importance. If I don’t care what Hanoi Jane thinks, why should I care about Mr. Sinise’s insight? As a veteran I believe I have just as much right to have my opinion heard...but we all know that’s not going to happen. I’m just as well informed, if not more so, than Hollywood prima donnas relative to making credible assessments on issues dealing with conflict or foreign policy. But, the reality is no one cares. Stick to the facts and we won’t be tortured listening to right or left wing propaganda being put out by people who making their living pretending to be somebody else. Just what are their credentials for making such statements? An objective press would allow us to form our own conclusions. Unfortunately that is not the way it works anymore. Journalists are not doing their jobs. A long time ago journalism was a real profession. Now it is nothing more than a stepchild to the entertainment world. The public seems inclined to let others do the thinking for us. How sad. We can do better...and we must.”
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