The First Amendment exists for a reason. The pure purpose of this amendment is for the public to have a say and be allowed to say whatever they want. All of us in the United States talk about things that we are not experts on, and one of these particulars is politics. Several generations connected and talked about this last year’s election; whether they were healthy or unhealthy debates will remain with those who participated in them. What needs to be talked about, however, is that everyone has the right to talk about politics.
There are people who tell celebrities to keep their mouths shut about politics. Some individuals say that celebrities should stay out of it because politics is not their job. Leave the government talk to the senators, governors, and other politicians because they are the ones who know what they are talking about. Celebrities, according to some, only belong in their own industry of acting and creating art.
What a lot of these politicians and other individuals do not understand is how much power celebrities have. The public pays attention to when these celebrities speak and what they say. There are those actors and actresses who are role models to the public, and inspire them in different areas of their lives. There are some people who are tired of listening to politicians; at times the governmental language is too complicated for the public to understand. When talking about politics, celebrities can be more straight forward and utilize a language that is more easily understandable and just as sophisticated.
Celebrities may also connect with a different audience than politicians do. We saw from the election the turn out of voters, so obviously the politicians pleading to the public to vote did not register. There is a chance that a larger audience will pay more attention to what celebrities have to say instead of the politicians because some individuals do not trust the government. There are also those celebrities that people can identify with. There is a reason why the retail industries and food industries employ celebrities for commercials: the public tends to eat, wear, and shop at places these celebrities do. The public follow celebrities, and these famous individuals know that. So yes, they try to utilize this fascination in a certain way and guide it in a certain direction.
There are some reasons why I don’t agree with celebrity politics. The main reason, though, is the place these speeches take place. I personally don’t think they are exactly appropriate destinations. Theaters and award shows are places that do hold the public’s attention, so I completely understand why these individuals chose them. Yet, people do not go to these places and watch these things and expect more political talk. That is what the news channels are for and for the campaign. If celebrities wanted to talk about politics, I think a more appropriate way to do it would be through an interview or to write an article and send it to a newspaper.
Overall, everyone has the right to speak about what they want. No one can tell someone not to speak about an issue. Celebrities have just as much as right to talk about politics as anybody else. They have different means than the rest of the public of how to get their message and thoughts out into the world, and they take every chance that they can get.
