bewarey3k

Hi everyone! I was on Rock the Vote today and found a new kind of social networking site that they were using to feature celebrity 'public service announcement' (PSA) videos with some big name celebrities (like Christina Agulera, Justin Timberlake, Lil Jon). It's all for a good cause- but as more and more celebrities take an active role in politics, the more it becomes apparent that sometimes they can do more harm than good when endorsing a politician.

Rock the Vote: Vote if you care!

Obviously when a big celebrity endorses a politician is provides a bonanza of free publicity. There’s also the burst of money these high-profile celebs can bring in themselves and attract from others. Then there’s the extra attention and excitement these stars engender when they appear at a candidate’s political events. It’s far easier to attract a crowd in Des Moines if a big TV, movie or recording star is standing next to the politician. But celebrities aren't politicans. Last month Ludacris released song endorsing Barak Obama called - 'Obama is Here', after Barak Obama admits he has some Ludacris on his iPod. The song is very controversial, calling Hillary a b**ch and wishing paralysis on McCain and has had a very negative affect on Obama.

So what do celebrity endorsements do for you? Do celebrities you admire effect your perception of a candidate? If you're out of the loop, here are some videos to get you started:

Rock the Vote: Christina Aguleria PSA
Rock the Vote: Lil Jon PSA

Just for fun - Debate it on Rock the Vote!!

TheAngel

I don't really pay attention to celebrity endorsements but I feel like even celebrities have their right to an opinion and in some cases, if they can get more young adults to vote that wouldn't have voted originally, then it's a good thing. I think it's silly when people connect a politician to a celebrity though. Like, for example, the Ludacris song. Last time I checked, the man was his own monster (so to speak) and no one had a handle on him in saying, this is what you're going to write or sing. So, he made the choice to write the song that was, obviously, in poor taste, but was still in his right to say it. But that shouldn't reflect poorly on Obama because he had nothing to do with the song. Anyone that lets that influence them is a fool anyway and I have little respect for them. Besides, if they do, they probably wouldn't have voted for Obama anyway...Kind of like Joe the Plumber. He wouldn't have voted for Obama no matter what. It wouldn't have made a difference.

ceilirose

It has had a negative effect on Obama? Really?

I don't have a problem with celebrities endorsing candidates - both parties get them. They always have and they always will.

Honestly more people are worried about their jobs and personal finances to care about song lyrics. The only way this can become an issue is if the economy suddenly does a 360 overnight. I don't think that's going to happen.

Indian Summer

I'm having much the same reaction as ceilirose. I've never even heard of this song and I'm technically of the target demographic, at least age-wise for such a thing. It's not my kind of music, but then again, neither is "Umbrella" and I was exposed to the "Under Barack Obama" spoof and all the Barack Rolled videos time and time again, so...

The thing is, a Ludacris song would have the most impact on the youth vote, and that's pretty much already firmly in Barack's grips. Unless he called Hillary a b**ch himself or was caught saying he hopes McCain becomes paralyzed and dying, I don't see the youth vote changing hands. He's really energized that group and made them care in a way I've never seen before. John McCain seems especially out of touch to this group of voters, many of whom always knew the Czech Republic and Slovakia as two separate countries and were therefore completely lost when McCain seemed to be living in the past, referring to "Czechoslovakia" multiple times in a couple days. And while it's harsh, I've seen a lot of comments coming out of this demographic talking about things like McCain seeming like a "senile old man" during the second debate as he walked around the stage; I'm not saying it's right or appropriate, but ageism is certainly alive and probably no moreso than in the youngest voters. As a result, I have a hard time seeing the Ludacris thing having much of an impact.

Celebrity endorsements are a tricky matter. In the past, it's been the youth vote that's the most sorely lacking on election day, and the young adults happen to be the ones most likely to be influenced by "Rock the Vote" type movements and celebrity encouragement to vote. On that hand, it's a good thing; anything that gets more voters showing up at the polls and caring about the future of their country is a positive.

On the other hand, though, there is the issue that sometimes, celebrity carries too much weight. Look at what happened in California's gubernatorial election for the most obvious example of that.

At the same time, though, I do think people have to be held responsible for making a choice on their own. I was a senior in high school for the 2004 election, and I remember sitting at the lunch table in disgust as a classmate of mine talked about how she'd voted for Bush because she'd seen an ad on TV where he hugged a little black girl and he "just looked so friendly!" Clearly, you don't need a celebrity telling you how to vote to ignore the issues and vote based on emotional response.

I guess at the end of the day, celebrities are entitled to their own political opinions and have every right to own up to them publicly. I do think they should be cautious, though, and realize their word carries more weight than Joe/Sam the Plumber's and Joe Six Pack's. Ugh.

bewarey3k

Ceilirose- Re the Obama song tipped the scales for most voters- most likely not.

But at the time Obama was still a stranger to a lot of voters...also being one of the first major African American potentials and being associated with what is (my opinion) a negative side of black culture, could have shaken up a lot of people for no good reason other than Ludacris not being able to control his ego.

It serves as an example of how when celebrities represent a strong image/system of beliefs, people may unjustly attach those same beliefs to the candidate. But you're totally right, celebrities will always feel the need to open their mouths about things they may not know a whole lot about. My thinking is that because we live in a society that is so influenced by celebrities (especially young people), I want to know if anyone has had any positive/negative experiences with the current orgy of celebrities and politics.

Avatar

Tell that to the Dixie Chicks.

TheAngel

I would, I do. I think they have their right to an opinion. I actually wrote an article about that when I was about 16 for the local newspaper. I ticked off my parents because they're fairly conservative but I never understood the outburst towards them after saying they were ashamed Bush was from Texas. Before that, I was very proud of my country. After that day, I got a reality check and realized it wasn't necessarily the land of the free but the land of the socially accepted norm.

ceilirose

But Ludacris only appeals to a limited section of the voting public. The impact is little to nothing IMO.

I think some celebrities are knowledgeable about politics and some not - just like the general public. Just because they do what they do for a living doesn't mean they lose the right to state their opinion. To me they're no more influential than Joe The Plumber or the like.

vc318

I haven't heard the Ludacris song but John Legend came out with a song called "Yes We Can" that I think was done very well. I think negative ads and songs are going to attract certain people who like that sort of stuff, I guess.

Cristofle

Well, celebrities have a right to their opinion and the right to express and campaign for it just like everyone else. I tell every damn person who's halfway interested that I'm voting for Obama, why he's the best candidate for the job in my opinion. Our voices, our vote, that's a right in the United States and we all should use that right as we see fit.

Now, do I agree with people listening solely to celebrity endorsements when deciding who to vote for? No, lol. But hopefully that doesn't happen all that often.

bewarey3k

Yeah lots of good points... I've gone looking around and essentially the conclusion that I've arrived at is- celebrities opening their mouths encouraging people to vote in general is definitely a good thing. But when celebs themselves get INTO the politics then things tend to get out of hand right quick.

Examples that are awesome and send the right message:
YouTube - Flobots Rock the Vote PSA
YouTube - Christina Aguilera Talks about Rocking your vote

Annd the rest
YouTube - Bootsy Colins & Buckethead PSA
YouTube - Candice Michelle at the DNC

Great entertainers/philanthropists/talk show guests- definitely. But improv spokespeople for political candidates? Leave it to Bonno.

http://www.fanforum.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

grumblestaff@gmail.com

God, I couldn't care less what most celebrities have to say about anything. Pretty much all celebrities are such mental midgets, they'd need a stepladder to reach the level of normal non-sheltered individual.

bewarey3k

Err, well I don't think I really agree with that. Not ALL celebrities are 'mental midgets', in fact I'd say the majority of celebrities are normal intelligent people. Did you see the Flowbots video I posted?

Watch, think, then speak.

YouTube - Flobots Rock the Vote PSA

TheAngel

I think that's a bit of a generalization. A lot of celebs have a good idea of what's going on. In some sense, they see more than others because they travel and interact with people throughout the world. I'm not talking about the Paris Hiltons and Lindsey Lohans of the world. But, there are a lot of stars that have had college degrees, that have been raised in poverty, that have had abusive relationships and situations, and have generally lived very non-sheltered lives.
I think some of them are very intelligent but it's the "sound bytes" that are on the daily intertainment news shows and they pick the most inflamitory, radical comments on both sides of the political spectrum to display. I think it's very biased.

sunnykerr

I think celebrities have every freaking right to airing their opinions. Just like the rest of us would if we had that kind of platform.

If the electorate is mindless enough that all they need is to hear a celebrity support a given candidate to blindly vote for that guy, then that's on the electorate.

We talk about politics with our friends, with our co-workers, with our families... celebrities aren't exempt from having an opinion because there's a whole industry out there solely dedicated to getting soundbites out of them.

And, quite frankly, some of them are far more educated on the issues than a lot of us are. Yeah, being famous for whatever reason doesn't make anyone an expert on an issue, but I'd wager that Angelina Jolie knows a bit more about refugees than I do. And if Ben Affleck has something to say about Obama or McCain... well, the guy's no dummy.