As Americans, we have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Let me repeat that, we have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. However, there are some people who use that to their advantage just a little too much. Since President Trump made the announcement that he would be running for office on June 16, 2015, a large majority of the country was up in arms. His celebrity status was something that turned people off, accompanied by the remarks he has made to this day. Some of the most vocal about his position are those in the spotlight. Celebrities from all walks of life have had something to say about him, whether good or bad. Most were highly against him, with a select few in support. This observation was quite astonishing, considering, though not an A-Lister, he was a celebrity. He was one of them, yet they were against him. Before moving forward, I am stating clearly that this is not in support or against President Trump. This is a simple analysis and observation of how celebrities have become more involved in politics within the last three years.
Let's back-pedal a bit here. When rumors first started circulating that Donald Trump could possibly be running for president, many voters and civilians had already chosen their candidate. At this point, Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Secretary of State and First Lady to President Bill Clinton, was the forerunner of the Democratic Party, until April 30, 2015, when Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced his candidacy. By the time Pres. Trump announced that he, too, would be running, the country had already made their decision. His choice to run caused a rift in our country, and it's a damn shame.
The way the news has handled these past three years since Pres. Trump's announcement has been horrendous. Since the news stations are protected under the First Amendment right to freedom of the press, there's nothing any of us as civilians can do about it. Stations like Fox, CNN, and NBC have had a few words to say about our president, some bad, some good. I'm not angry with the news, solely because, though biased on both ends, this mode of media is the only one that is relatively trustworthy. The anchors may not want to read the story, but they will scribble on a smile and tell you what you need to know. The aforementioned news stations have managed to cause a rift in society, the largest hailing from La La Land itself, Hollywood.
Many celebrities will take to social media to reach out to fans or share their general thoughts for the world to see. If you look up any Instagram or Twitter account of any A-Lister, more times than not, the celebrity runs their own account. It's very rare that you find one that has a PR Manager in charge of the content. IN the past three years, the amount of content has diminished exponentially. Rather than sharing their life or current status, many will voice their political views for the world to see. I commend them for that, yet after careful studying, very few seemed to mean it. These celebrities were following a trend that grew and continues to grow day by day. It's a shame that politics has basically engulfed award shows, music, and movies.
As the age of social media users declines, the impact that celebrities have on civilians is more important than ever. If a young user comes across a tweet from their idol voicing their opinion on any form of politics, there is a large chance that the user will agree without looking up any of the facts behind it. This has become abundantly clear in recent times in reference to President Trump and his policies. I'm very impressed by how informed the celebrities sharing their thoughts on social media and through interviews are. However, when someone who isn't as educated comes across this slice of a thought, without hesitation, they will jump on the bandwagon. If you were to try and develop a dialogue with the average Joe who has stumbled upon the opinion, it's rare that the other person will have facts and examples to back their arguments. Most times, their argument is, "Well, XXXXX said it, so it must be true.", or something along those lines. The lack of knowledge on what is happening in our government is sad, and the bandwagon that celebrities are creating is not helping.
The one thing has boggled me since day one is that celebrities are making a fuss about is that Donald Trump is a reality star, and celebrities should not be in office. Many of the people that I have heard this from fail to remember the original occupation of a few political figures. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California, is most known for his roles in the "Terminator" series and "Kindergarten Cop". Sonny Bono, former congressman for California, rose to fame alongside Cher as the power duo Sonny & Cher. Fred Thompson, former Senator from Tennessee and GOP presidential candidate in 2008, was a television actor and radio host. Our very own 40th President of the United States, President Ronald Reagen, was an actor, most notably known for his roles in "The Killers" and "This Is The Army". Though there were concerns with these politicians, none reached the level of intensity that hit President Trump once elected.
Within the past six months, celebrities have come forward with who they wish would run for office. It started as a joke from Ben Platt, star of stage and screen when he tweeted his support for Oprah Winfrey to run in the 2020 election. This led many others to reciprocate, tweeting and sharing their support. Though a fine woman, I believe that these people have not learned their lesson. They claim that the presidency should not be held by a reality star, yet they themselves are nominating a reality star? The wide world of Hollywood is a confusing one, but this had to be the most confusing. The support has even crossed over to acceptance speeches at award shows, for example, Kanye West.
It's a shame that those who wish to solely be entertained cannot enjoy a simple award show anymore. Every move has to be a political statement, mainly in defiance of our president. Whether it be the way they dress or what they say when accepting their awards, nothing is about entertainment anymore. The entertainment industry has fallen captive to the ones who run our country. It obviously has simmered down in recent months, just getting off the heels of our first year under the new president. However, is it appropriate for celebrities to poke fun at our president when, just three short years ago, he was just like you? I know that if Hillary had won, everything would be in praise of her.
I reiterate by saying that we, as Americans, have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and this was not meant to lean more toward the left or the right, but rather as an observation of how Hollywood has taken the presidency thus far. How you choose to interpret it is all up to you, but after looking at trends in social media and on the red carpet, politics have become the action star that everyone talks about. The social media scheme has created such a black hole for young people to be influenced without exploring the facts, but as long as their favorite celebrity has the same opinion, it must be right. I think it's time that La La Land takes a step back and focus on what they do best: entertain.
