Hollywood and Politics
Since the presidential election of 1920, politicians have been using Hollywood celebrity endorsements in an attempt to influence voters on their decision. In an article by Vidya Rao, she discusses whether celebrity endorsements really persuade voters on election or are seen as just an opinion. A poll conducted last September resulted in 78 percent of people thinking celebrity endorsements would have no affect on the election and 9 percent resulting in the fact that it might discourage people to vote for that endorsed candidate. The study showed that “Celebrity endorsed campaigns…helped young people believe in their impact on the political system.” Because of celebrity endorsements, young voters, especially first time voters, have become more politically educated on the issues that were discussed during the election. After Oprah Winfrey publicly and financially endorsed Obama, the Obama camp thought that appearances with Oprah would bring in 10,000 new volunteers helping the campaign. That guess was correct. At a rally in South Carolina in December 2007, the rally had to be moved to a football stadium because 29,000 people showed up to hear Oprah with Obama speak.
Nevertheless, David Jackson, a political science professor at Bowling Green State University, says, “We know celebrity endorsements matter. Getting people to admit it- that’s another story.” Jackson thinks that celebrity endorsements most likely influenced undecided voters or people that had not planned to vote. “It would be a rare occasion for a McCain supporter to turn around and become an Obama supporter just because a celebrity told him to do so,” says Jackson. “Most people said they were more influenced by their friends and family when deciding who to vote for,” says Assistant Director of the Center for Consumer Research, Natalie Wood.
However, not only is the election using Hollywood, but Hollywood is using the election to keep their movies booming. Many films that were created recently have had plots relating to politics or have had a political undertone. Many filmmakers are hoping that their movies might help educate people and maybe even change policy debates. Comedian and producer, Michael Moore, is “betting that the presidential election season will make moviegoers more inclined to sample their topical stories.” Some film creators are even holding out on releasing their movies in theatres until it was closer to the election, however with all the hype of the election, filmmakers worry that audiences may be burned out on politics.
Everyone uses Hollywood. People use celebrities to get fashion ideas and even copy hairstyles from them. So, it’s not a big deal that politicians use them as well. Whether of not people want to come clean about it, celebrity endorsements do matter. They may not persuade you to change your vote, but they do get your attention. Politicians benefit from Hollywood and Hollywood benefits from politics. Everyone is happy, right?
posted by Sammy | 3:58 PM
8 Comments:
I think you are right in the fact that celebrity endorsements can influence a vote, although they may not change one. However, I do not think that young voters have become more educated on the issues at all. Many young voters chose to vote for Obama, because of the celebrity status he acquired through the election as he became a symbol of pop culture. Many of his supporters chose to vote for him, because celebrities such as P. Diddy and Oprah thought that he was a good choice for candidacy and for a number of them that was good enough. McCain failed to have powerful celebrity endorsements that were seen as "cool" by today's youth. In movies, such as "The Dark Knight", there are a number of political undertones that suggest a failing political system. These ideas are the ones influencing the youth vote, rather then the platforms of the presidential candidates and their stances on important issues, such as the war and recession. So although I believe that celebrity endorsement can be powerful in political elections, the youth is still just as uneducated as it was prior to this election about the issues, because they are getting their information from celebrities who only choose to present one side of the issue. The only difference is that they have gone to the polls to vote.
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The media makes a bigger deal about celebrities and their endorsements than the American public. If the media is going to blast that Oprah is announcing Barack Obama at one of his press junkets, the fact that it is on every news station is the reason why people are talking about it. I do agree today's youth are easily influenced individuals and the media is the one to blame for the individuals lack of information on the issues. If the celebrities are saying why they are voting one way or the other, many young people are going to agree with what the celebrities are saying because they "must know what they're talking about in order to have their message all over different mass mediums".
Even in "sneaky" ways, the cast of SNL endorsed Obama because of how much they made fun of McCain and Palin, barely touching on Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Tina Fey would be the first person to tell you how much she could not wait to be done playing Governor Palin and if she were elected VP, she would move out of the country. Comments like that are far and wide, but once the media gets a hold on them, their comments are solidified as endorsements for candidates.
I think celebrity endorsements do carry enormous clout-- especially among young voters. Seeing your favorite celebrity voting for someone would make you think twice about the candidate, even if you disagreed with 90% of his or her policies. Certainly, these endorsements have less impact on voters who have already done some research about the candidates and have their own political convictions sorted out. For the average young voter, however, their vote is determined by what is cool, which goes hand-in-hand with celebrity endorsements.
Let's look at this election cycle: Obama overwhelmingly captured the young vote, and you can't deny that Obama had enormous pop-culture appeal-- he had t-shirts and bags in his image and was even on the cover of Rolling Stone. McCain tried to point this out and make fun of this during the campaign to limited success because the ad was seen as hostile to young voters and irrelevant to older voters.
I think celebrity endorsements are both a blessing and a curse for voters and politicians alike. For voters, they can spark interest and lead to more political efficacy, but they can also deter any real political knowledge by encouraging a vote by what is cool and not by the issues. For politicians, celebrity endorsements can sway large audiences and get people excited about the campaign, but might also backfire if you have the wrong celebrity championing for you (e.g. Heidi from The Hills).
We discussed this is class, but I think the celebrity influence is one of those things where people say "it doesn't affect me, but it affects other people.” Regardless, I do not think I am swayed by a celebrity when it comes to who I am voting for, however, I do think a celebrity can bring a certain excitement to a campaign that I can appreciate. For example, Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s endorsement and campaign appearances in support of the McCain/Palin ticket were particularly exciting for me since I am a fan of Hasselbeck. I would not support a candidate based on a celebrities opinion, however.
I find it very interesting to study the subject of hollywood and politics. This semester, I took a Media Stardom and Celebrity Culture coarse at Notre Dame. In the course, we discussed celebrities' images and the roles that the celebrities play in our everyday lives. After taking this course, I truly believe that celebrites play a major role in our lives that we do not even notice. Although I would like to say that I do not think a celebrity endorsement would influence my vote, I really think it might without my noticing. If a celebrity that I dislike is endorsing a candidate that I am not completely in favor of, I believe that I might dislike the candidate a little more.
I actually think it is very risky for candidates to be linked with celebrities because if the celebrity were to do something wrong or even be accused of doing something wrong, and this behavior is linked to the candidate, they could be viewed negatively by the public which could be very detrimental to their campaign. Especially with trendier celebrities who make their fame because of the party scene, there is a great risk of hurting the candidate's image. Celebrities like Oprah is a rare person who could actually help a candidate, however most celebrities do not have the populartity she has.
I do not think that celebrities affect me, but I do believe that some people can be persuaded by them. Personally, I do not pay much attention to celebrities in general simply because I am not that interested in their lives; therefore, I do not let them affect me when it comes to politics. Nevertheless, I'm sure other people are affected by them whether they want to believe so or not. If someone sees their favorite celebrity endorsing a particular candidate, of course they are going to think twice about who they are voting for.
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