Hollywood versus Politics--Brienne

Tomorrow Benjamin McKenzie (The O.C.) is going to speak on behalf of Barack Obama at Transylvania University in Lexington. This is an event that I am very excited about. This is also an example of how politics and entertainment are coming together in this election. For many, many years politics and Hollywood have been coming together. It seems like each presidential election brings them closer together. Last election, MTV created Rock the Vote, which inspired young people all over the country to go vote in the election. This year, you can't help but see the music videos campaigning for different candidates. You see all sorts of movie and T.V. stars picking and endorsing candidates. You have to ask yourself, though, if this is a good thing. Rock the Vote, in my opinion, was an excellent idea. It did not have a party preference, it just got the idea out there that people have the right to vote and they should use that right. However, I feel that with the entertainment industry and politics collide, people stop voting on issues and start voting for who their favorite T.V. character endorses. While it might be a good eye opener to people who don't necessarily care for politics, those people more than likely aren't educated in the positions the politicians take of different topics. People tend to focus on non-issues like what Reverend White thinks. By focusing on the celebrity side of politics, voters are making uninformed decisions, on decisions that will effect the entire world! While I agree that it is a good thing that people are aware that their vote does count, they shouldn't base their vote on the vote of another person. If I were a celebrity, I would want to use my celebrity status to inform people of the issues at hand, which is what Benjamin McKenzie will do, but I am also sure that he will try to persuade people to vote for the person that he supports, which is Barack Obama. These are very difficult ideas to balance, and I hope that the industries don't collide in a harmful way in the future.