Being the current events whore that I am, I was somewhat dismayed to see that Oprah Winfrey has taken to stomp for her favorite candidate, Obama. Now, I'm not a huge fan of Oprah Winfrey, and an even lesser fan of the vapid people who worship the ground she walks on. Even so, I find it interesting that now she has decided to step into the political spotlight for this particular candidate. It begs me to wonder just why exactly she is supporting Obama. Why now? Why him??
I also have an issue with celebrities who feel their endorsement can make the difference between winning or losing elections. Sean Penn being one. However, Oprah is one of the few who probably can and will influence how people will vote this election. Everything she praises turns into the "must have" from books, to chefs, to whatever she features on her show.
Which brings me to the scary part.
The realization that some people will cast their vote based solely on celebrity endorsement, instead of actually taking a moment to research the candidate. A lot of people out there will say, "If he's good enough for Oprah, he's good enough for me." I think that's what Oprah is counting on, the vast legion of bored housewives who cling to her every word.
I don't know enough about ol' Barry to have an opinion...I'm still deciding. However, Oprah peddling Obama is akin to Michael Jordan and Nike. Mary Lou Retton and a box of Wheaties. People need to be smarter, and not so enamoured with celebrity endorsements that they cast their vote without a second thought. It's okay if you're just buying a pair of shoes, or a book. It's not okay when electing the next leader of the free world.
Maybe if people actually put more effort into actually learning about who the candidates are, they would stop electing assclowns to office.
It's your vote, folks. Use it wisely. Don't piss it away just because the candidate is Oprah's current Favorite Thing. The idea is so scary, it makes me want to vote for Hillary.
2 comments:
Celebrity endorsements are subject to change. In a movie about Ralph Nader they had footage of passionate speeches by Michael Moore, S.Sarandon, T.Robbins agitating for Ralph in 2000 and then the same people agitating against him in 2004 with equal passion. There is always a percentage of people who vote based on how cute the candidate is,or "whot would Oprah,Jesus (insert your own) pick. I don't see it as any worse than voting for a candidate strictly based on his views on abortion or gay marriage.
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