We've heard a lot recently about celebrities' involvement in politics. Many conservatives, led by The Blaze's beloved blonde babe Tomi Lahren, say that celebrities should not be involved in politics. They say that elitist celebrities are out of touch with ordinary Americans. That begs the question, should celebrities use their platform to address what they see as problems in the country, or should they just shut up and do their jobs?

I will be the first to admit that celebrities can be elitist. And I will be the first to admit that they sometimes do not understand the problems of ordinary Americans. However, they absolutely can be involved in politics. As an advocate of grassroots politics, I firmly believe that the voices of common Americans should be the main voices of protest, but celebrities have every right to express their opinions. They have the same First Amendment rights as ordinary Americans; they just have a larger platform to spread their views. If they want to use that platform, they can. Conservatives claim to be the great defenders of the First Amendment when it comes to Milo Yiannopolous, but if some liberal celebrity speaks out, then they should just shut up and stick to performing. Conservatives, of course, have no problem if conservative celebrities speak up. Clint Eastwood speaking to an invisible Obama at the Republican National Convention is perfectly acceptable, but Katy Perry speaking to the Democratic National Convention is not. Beyonce's Super Bowl performance was divisive, but Joy Villa's MAGA dress was totally acceptable.

Granted, while a majority of celebrities are liberals, there are plenty of conservative celebrities. Speaking out as a conservative celebrity is not such a daring stand. Furthermore, while conservatives may claim to hate celebrities in politics, their own voting record shows that this isn't true. They just put a celebrity businessman into the White House. If celebrities who try to stand up for diversity don't care about ordinary Americans, what makes them think that The Donald does? But that's not the only example. Conservative hero Ronald Reagan was also a celebrity that got into politics, but at least he had political experience before entering the White House.

The arts have been a medium for people to speak out on political issues since time immemorial, and celebrities have always tried to use that medium. It's fine to criticize the way a celebrity discusses their politics, but trying to silence liberal celebrities, or even conservative celebrities for that matter, reeks of McCarthyism. Now, if I feel like some rich Hollywood celebrity is spouting rhetoric that seems to disparage ordinary Americans, I will criticize that rhetoric, but I will still say they have a right to use the platform that they have, because that their right as an American.