Anybody who has a desire to serve people and show qualities of solid governance can become a successful politician and leader. History has proved this fact, as celebrities have been elected to serve the interests of the people in public offices. In public service, what matters most is the commitments and the political awareness that one shows while in office. Politics is all about connecting and identifying with the needs of the common populous. Associating with their challenges, addressing their difficulties and instilling hope is all that counts. Any celebrity that takes in this philosophy into account and addresses these grievances can use the platform of their fame to vie for a public office.
Celebrities often desire to see developments in their neighborhoods. They commonly seek advancements in the areas they grew up in and the areas they reside. Their desire for a better society is what drives them to politics. With such good agendas for their electorate, these celebrities should be given a chance to enter politics. On the other hand, critics argue that these celebrities are hugely wealthy and do not know the feelings associated with the struggling middle class. What these critics should understand is that celebrities have the will to change the society and that is the reason why they seek an avenue to address societal needs (Burns, 2009).
Winning an elective post has more to it than just the candidates. We have seen people like Ronald Reagan entering politics and excelling. Ronald Reagan started well as a governor and then as a president. He used his masculinity and heroic nature that the voters identified with to win the elections. He excelled over his competitors since the voters had his success in mind as they have been watching him act for years.
Seeing such celebrities always in television, movies and magazines have earned them a social relationship and confidence that people can identify with. This brings a feeling to the voters that they have a personal connection with the celebrities, thus considering them as friends (Ed noel & Butterfield, 2009). Critics to this fact argue that stars ought to keep off from politics as it divides their audience. What they do not understand is that being a star creates a connection with the people which in no way divides them.
In the implementation of policies and as a strategy to maintain success while in offices, the leaders ought to be able to convince the constituents and solicit for their support. The abilities of celebrities to do this and conduct well in a composed manner while addressing their audiences can do them good. They are confident and satisfy their constituents in their composure while in public. The celebrities have been in the glare of publicity for long, and thus they impress in the way they deliver speeches as well as how they answer queries satisfactorily after a careful scrutiny. Those of the negative opinion on this matter argue that celebrities should stick to what they do best and forsake politics since they cannot deliver. This is being myopic since celebrities have an enormous experience within the public. In this lifestyle, they have interacted with the most knowledgeable and experienced people who have helped them maintain the right perspective. Therefore, being a celebrity in politics is beneficial. It is amazing to see that most politicians want to be celebrities due to the associated benefits (Ponce, 2002).
As seen in the leadership of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronald Reagan, Jesse Ventura, Fred Thompson and Al Franken, they portrayed themselves as selfless, thus restoring faith in politicians. This is seen in large numbers of voter turnout who came to elect these celebrities. Most young people are seen to withdraw from politics, but since the emergence of their favorite celebrities in the field, they have made a comeback since these celebrities are seen as relevant and in touch with the general populous. They showed well-outlined political strategies and thus cannot be judged as selfish as most politicians who go unnoticed throughout their tenure in office. The celebrity politicians have maintained a link with the people as they promote the policies, which help voters (Minardi, 2007).
Celebrities running for elective offices should be given an equal chance as anyone else. They should be judged depending on the policies and ideologies they have. However, the mistake they make is to sway their huge number of fans when they make endorsements (Lahusen, 1996). This tendency of using their personality power to influence the public to elect a candidate may be biased and can shift the electorate away from a positive candidate running for office. Therefore, the people in the spotlight should participate fully in politics if they are the ones seeking for an elective position but if otherwise, they should not use their acclaimed large stage to manipulate the public’s way of thinking.
References
Burns, K. S. (2009). Celeb 2.0: How Social Media Foster Our Fascination with Popular Culture. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger/ABC-CLIO.
Cogan, B., & Kelso, T. (2009). Encyclopedia of Politics, the Media, and Popular Culture. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood Press.
Ed Noel & Aaron Butterfield. (2009). Celebrity Politics: Celebrities Should Keep Out of Politics http://www.debatingmatters.com/documents/DM_TopicGuidesCelebrityPolitics.pdf
Lahusen, C. (1996). The Rhetoric of Moral Protest: Public Campaigns, Celebrity Endorsement and Political Mobilization. Berlin [u.a.: de Gruyter.
Minardi, J. (2007). Celebrities Talk Politics. Mickleton, NJ: Word Nerd Pub.
Ponce, L. C. L. (2002). Self-Exposure: Human-Interest Journalism and the Emergence of Celebrity in America, 1890-1940. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.