 Author |
 Post
|
 |
|
Amy
Joined: Apr 3, 2007
Posts: 29 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female & 33
Country: Canada
Province/State: Alberta
City: Edmonton
|
Celebrities as Activists
April 16, 2007 - 04:34 PM
|
|
How do you feel about the current trend of celebrities adopting political causes?
Do you pay more attention to an issue if there is a celebrity attached to it?
Do you think that these celebrities are generally well informed, or are they speaking and acting without really understanding the situation?
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
hekatea
Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Posts: 170 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Chatterbox
User is
Offline
Country: Philippines
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
April 16, 2007 - 11:27 PM
|
|
How do you feel about the current trend of celebrities adopting political causes?
Hi. Could you expound on this. Like what do you mean by adopting political causes? Is the politics you're referring to is the one directly related to government? Could you give some examples of these political causes?
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
vas
Joined: Aug 7, 2006
Posts: 225 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Chatterbox
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 32
Country: India
Province/State: Delhi
City: Kalkaji
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
April 17, 2007 - 03:51 AM
|
|
celebrities adopt social causes many times.this increases awareness about the cause and help in attracting funding.this is okay.but i dont know about celebrities adopting political cause.if this means blantly campaigning for a political party in liew for money during elections ,without conforming to the idelology then its wrong.sometimes these celebrities change their political affiliations on personal compulsions.
however if a celebrity joins mainstream ploitics coz he /she wants to makes a differnence and work with full honesty then its great.example is late filmstar Sunil Dutt who gave his life for welfare of cancer patients and people living in slums.After his death the baton has been passed to his social activist daughter Priyanka Dutt who worked till ninth month of pregnancy.another example is filmstar Shabana Azmi,celebrity poet Javed Akhtar.such people adopting political causes is great.Latest Indian star to adopt a cause is bollywood star Sunny Deol--Who is very popular among truck drivers.he is raising AIDs awareness among truck drivers.such endorsement is good. but banal campaiging for a politican is not good or joining politics for self gain (like getting a ticket for election ,minting money etc.)is wrong and fooling people.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Amy
Joined: Apr 3, 2007
Posts: 29 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 33
Country: Canada
Province/State: Alberta
City: Edmonton
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
April 17, 2007 - 11:30 AM
|
|
I'm wondering about people's thoughts on celebrities as activists, not specifically supporting a political party or candidate, but when they get involved in an issue.
I'm thinking about the current "trend" of adopting babies from developing countries. I'd be interested to hear what the opinions of this are. I know that when Madonna or Angelina Jolie adopt a child from Africa or Asia, people become more aware of that area, and may also want to adopt. While I think that every child should be given the chance to have the best possible life, I wonder about the long-term implications of removing a child from their native country. I know a lot of people who don't believe that this is an ethical thing to do.
Celebrities seem to be raising public awareness about issues such as human rights violations and the environment. Are they the right people to do these jobs? Where are the politicians in all of this?
This post was edited on: 2007-04-17 at 11:31 AM by: AmyNeufeld
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Zach
Joined: Mar 11, 2006
Posts: 145 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Chatterbox
User is
Offline
Country: United States
Province/State: Wisconsin
City: Milwaukee
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
April 18, 2007 - 06:06 PM
|
|
Are they the right people to do these jobs? I reckon they are. These are the right kind of people that will get people's attention if they do something good. If a normal person does something amazing, not too many people notice.
But, on the other hand, if someone like Bono or Leo DiCaprio comes in, people will look in awe.
It's kinda funny what this Earth has come to.
This post was edited on: 2007-04-18 at 06:06 PM by: youthforchange
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Dune Shrine
Joined: Sep 25, 2006
Posts: 14 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Soft-spoken
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Male, 29
Country: United States
Province/State: Virginia
City: Herndon
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
April 19, 2007 - 01:53 AM
|
|
I'm rather ambivalent on this issue. Sad to say, it's the celebrities that are the new power brokers in the media culture, and if they can use that power for good, so be it. I can only hope that they are actually educated and up on the issues when they open their mouths... and a lot of times, they just aren't. It takes more than a sound bite to understand an issue, and that's how the message is way too often geared.
But, if NOTHING else, their actions put the problems in the public eye. When Madonna has to go overseas to adopt a child, it highlights just how difficult it is to adopt in the States. And so on and so forth.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Amy
Joined: Apr 3, 2007
Posts: 29 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 33
Country: Canada
Province/State: Alberta
City: Edmonton
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
April 19, 2007 - 11:34 AM
|
|
prcizmadia wrote:
I'm rather ambivalent on this issue. Sad to say, it's the celebrities that are the new power brokers in the media culture, and if they can use that power for good, so be it. I can only hope that they are actually educated and up on the issues when they open their mouths... and a lot of times, they just aren't. It takes more than a sound bite to understand an issue, and that's how the message is way too often geared.
But, if NOTHING else, their actions put the problems in the public eye. When Madonna has to go overseas to adopt a child, it highlights just how difficult it is to adopt in the States. And so on and so forth.
I agree that as long as celebrities are informed and actually committed (not just looking to get some media attention) then adding their voices to the debate will only help to inform more people.
As for the adoption issue, I must admit I'm a little torn. I didn't realize that it was difficult to adopt in the US. From the sounds of things, it is usually quite difficult to adopt in Malawi. I wonder if celebrities are able to use their priviledged status to bypass some of the red tape the rest of us have to go through. And is it really the best thing for the people of Malawi if adopting children from there becomes trendy, so the youth of that county begins to be moved to the developed world? I don't know.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Saladin
Joined: Oct 1, 2002
Posts: 1000 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Blabbermouth
User is
Offline
 Virtual Volunteer
Gender & Age: Male, 27
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Qahirah
City: Cairo
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
April 20, 2007 - 06:14 PM
|
|
Great ideas  !
It would be however very interesting to hear the opinion of somebody from California on his/her experience with Arnold Schwarzenneger !
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Terri
Joined: May 21, 2007
Posts: 28 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 30
Country: Kenya
Province/State: Rift Valley
City: Nakuru
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
July 13, 2007 - 12:12 PM
|
|
I concur with those saying it is the best way.
Most young people are easier to get through to using artists as the idolize some of them!
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Ashley
Joined: Aug 18, 2007
Posts: 13 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Soft-spoken
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 33
Country: Hong Kong
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
September 17, 2007 - 05:52 AM
|
|
Generally speaking I feel it is a positive thing. I mean - often there is something aggravatingly superficial about the approach many of the celebrities take  But a few of them do seem to truly care and actually take the time to learn and be deeply involved.
For those many celebrities who don't and just use it for image... well I suppose there could be worst things to do with your fame. Even if it leads one fan to take an interest and think it over, better than nothing I say... 
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
npirromc
Joined: Sep 14, 2007
Posts: 6 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Soft-spoken
User is
Offline
Country: United States
Province/State: Connecticut
City: New Canaan
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
September 18, 2007 - 11:38 AM
|
|
I think that celebs promotinga good cause is a really good idea because people are influenced by the things that they do and say, so it can get the fund raiser more money or whatever their lookingfor. so i think that it is a perfect idea. 
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Melanie LeBlanc
Joined: Sep 25, 2007
Posts: 31 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 20
Country: Canada
Province/State: Ontario
City: Toronto
|
Re: Celebrities as Activists
September 26, 2007 - 10:12 AM
|
|
The harsh reality is that we do pay more attention to causes when a celebrity is involved in it...is that a bad thing? Not so much, some celebrities really do care for the cause, eg. Leonardo DiCaprio for Global Warming, but then we have other celebrities who have no idea what they're doing or who they're trying to help and are just doing it cause their "people" told them to.
So yes, sometimes it does take a celebrity to get other peoples attention for a certain cause but if that's what it takes to get the message out there, then that's what needs to be done.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
|
Display posts from:
|
Home
Community
