The dangers of America's celebrity culture

By Alan Ouellette
The Collegian

IT WOULD BE difficult to deny that the United States has become a celebrity culture in many respects. Whether they are movie stars or musicians, many of us cannot resist tracking their careers and keeping up to date on their personal lives.

This fascination with celebrities has contributed to a growing trend on the part of the American public to depend on these figures to bring our attention to global crises.

The news media and most political officials, for instance, have not actively publicized the human rights violations in Darfur. The first time I saw the growing problem addressed on a major American news outlet was last week in connection with George Clooney’s humanitarian work in the region.

While it is laudable for celebrities to use their “credit [cards]” as major figures in popular culture, as Clooney has said, it also gives us a frightening look at the direction the United States is heading.

The current government in Darfur and the Janjaweed have been on a campaign to kill and rape the indigenous peoples of the region and to pillage their communities, resulting in the murder of thousands and the displacement of millions, according to Human Rights Watch.

Despite these abuses, the issue of genocide does not appear to be something that results in widespread public outrage unless it is in the shadow of a major Hollywood celebrity — pointing to some implicit criticisms of the American political system, the media, and ourselves.

I am not attempting to discredit the steps that congressional officials and the Bush Administration have made in providing Sudanese refugees with aid, but many of us can agree that what is being provided is far less than substantial given the severity of the situation.

When political leaders are hesitant to act on issues that do not directly affect their constituency or prospects for reelection, the trend has oftentimes been inaction.

As Clooney notes, “I think that we are a country that is always slow to act. We always have been, on almost everything, but especially on situations like [the one in Darfur].”

Furthermore, since most major American news outlets seem to be concerned with providing entertainment above all else, many are unwilling to tackle international conflicts that not only demand attention, but some form of immediate intervention.

Fortunately, there are celebrities such as Clooney who encourage the media to bring images of the estimated 80,000 displaced people throughout Sudan to the public and who have the ability to galvanize political officials into addressing an obvious problem that has been overlooked for too long.

Unfortunately, there are few celebrities that use their ability to influence others for such a praiseworthy end. Because of this, we need to become increasingly reliant upon ourselves to be informed citizens and to bring about change in the political climate — then, perhaps, our political representatives will begin to join in on the work some celebrities are already doing.

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