Just two years ago if you would have told me that Donald Trump, the combover wearing curmudgeon from “The Apprentice,” was going to be kicking his feet up in the oval office and referred to as our Commander in Chief, I would have laughed at you. “That’s absurd,” I would have said. But it’s here, it’s happening.
The president of the United States is officially a Cheeto.
If that weren’t insane enough, talks of the 2020 election have already begun. And since apparently just about anyone can be president nowadays, people like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson have announced their candidacy.
There has even been buzz about Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West, Katy Perry and Chris Rock. As for how many of those are actually valid political bids, I’m not sure, but we doubted Steven Colbert and see how far he got?
So, since the White House is being moved to Hollywood, I thought why not pick a celebrity candidate whose stances I support? For me, that celebrity is Macklemore. If rap lyrics are in any way an indicator of political agendas, which I’m pretty sure they are, I’m on board with Macklemore 2020. And what the heck - since they work so well together, Ryan Lewis for vice president.
Yes, he swears, refers to his manhood and even objectifies women on occasion, he’s a rapper, but nothing in his songs compares to what our current president spews. In fact, listening to his music you’ll hear that he refers to his manhood mostly in jest or ironically, he raps mostly about gender equality and refers to liking women of all body types.
He’s personable with a voice that young people, the largest voter demographic in this country, will listen to.
He’s humble but doesn’t feel the need to brag about it. He’s well-spoken and doesn’t take to Twitter every five seconds. He may as well already be a politician. Except, unlike most politicians and especially celebrity politicians, he uses his platform to highlight issues like consumerism, drug addiction and LGBTQ equality.
Skeptical? Let me prove it to you, in song…
In “Same Love” he raps about not what he thinks the struggle for a gay person is, but instead how his misconceptions of what it means to be gay as a child brought on by society are an echo of society's perception as a whole. He calls out religious hypocrisy and the violence and hatred the LGBTQ community continues to face.
Let’s talk about “Wings,” “Thrift Shop” and “Make The Money.” This comes from a man who is now worth $18 million, according to Google. He did it by rapping about shopping at thrift stores, how Air Jordans don’t make the player and reminding people, "make the money don't let the money make you."
OK, OK, I know what he’s talking about is scary because it’s anti-big cooperation and it’s a little socialist, gasp, but you know what? It’s about time we stopped giving all our money to companies that support an industry that is environmentally irresponsible and exploits its workers with inhumane work conditions.
It’s time we started thrift shopping. If you buy from hole in the wall thrift shops that money stays locally, why don’t we promote that instead of walking into stores greeted by over-sized posters of unrealistically built, shirtless men and headache-inducing perfumes coming out of the vents?
Makes sense to me.
As for his stance on Healthcare? Check out “Drug Dealer.” Just listen to the chorus, “My drug dealer was a doctor, doctor. Had the plug from Big Pharma, Pharma. He said that he would heal me, heal me, but he only gave me problems, problems.”
This is a man clearly in support of dismantling the profit-making system we have in favor of something that works to actually help its citizens, not further feed the serpent of greed that is the United States’ pharmaceutical industry.
He would make addiction and the “war on drugs” a priority. He used to be an addict and has watched friends fall down that same rabbit hole and never return. In “Otherside” he raps about his struggle with addiction, the rationalizing that someone caught up in that world is able to create out of a life or death situation. He recognizes how society glorifies drug abuse, “Follow the formula: violence, drugs and sex sells” and how that can impact a young mind.
This is a man who would put philanthropy and the serving others as a priority in a country that has very much lost its altruism. “Excavate” is his internal struggle, not wanting to die having done nothing for others and only serving himself.Isn’t that the kind of human who should make important decisions? The kind who thinks beyond himself? I think so.
And beyond that, this is a person who questions things, like his own motivations. Like in “Intentions,” he raps, “I should read a book, but I keep watching this TV and I know this lifestyle doesn't really feed me. I just tune out to the voice inside that's speaking.” Shouldn’t we elect someone who questions not only those around him but asks questions of himself as well?
This trend of electing over confident blustering figureheads in office has got to stop, we need a leader who listens and receives as well as leads. A leader is only as good as those that he leads and if our current government is a reflection of that, I shudder to think what that means for the citizens of this country.
Here’s the thing, Macklemore probably won’t run for president and in the past, he has been politically active, truthfully, I don’t think he’s qualified to do so, but the big picture is that we’ve got to stop being so absurd. I don’t really want some random guy off the street who has made questionable life choices, never attended medical school and wearing a lab coat to be my doctor.
That’s why we have to start electing people who have some experience in politics, not a resume consisting of a bunch of failed business endeavors and somehow a knack for scamming people out of their money.
I get that President Trump is already in charge and that we should be looking at the bright side and making the most of it, it’s hard, but I’m trying my best to do so. I’m just hoping that my ability to completely rationalize with the absurdity of an absurd political climate helps shed some light on just how insane these political bids are.
So, I leave you with this: stop being blinded by celebrity. Do some critical thinking and vote accordingly.