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Entertainers: Part of the Problem or the Solution? |
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Posted 2/12/2010 at 1:40 PM by Bradlee A |
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On my ride home yesterday, I was listening to the radio, distracting myself from the depressing news that was being shoveled out via NPR, and it dawned on me: do musicians, actors & actresses, professional athletes, basically anyone in the entertainment industry, do more harm than good? Are they doing enough to raise awareness about issues that truly matter, or are they simply distracting us from the things that are really important, issues that need to be addressed and problems that need to be solved?
I am someone that’s easily frustrated by apathy. I get angry when people know more about celebrity gossip than about Health Care reform. I bite my tongue when I see someone grab for an In Touch Weekly magazine over a New York Times.
I understand that no one wants to be surrounded by the bad news, the doom and gloom, all the time. Distractions are needed, especially for those of us that are working for positive change in our schools, communities, cities, states and country. I know I’d literally go insane if I couldn’t rock out to my music or watch a comedic movie once in a while. I just have a problem with how much our culture, and thus our media, focuses on it.
There was a stint a few summers ago when I was unemployed. I spent most of my days scanning the web for jobs, applying the some of them, and watching television. I was utterly disgusted with the amount of coverage that was devoted to the death of Anna Nicole Smith. It was on all the time, sucking up precious airwaves with utterly useless dialogue. I just couldn’t fathom why it was on TV. A simple answer now comes to mind: people were watching it.
I feel like many socially minded journalists recently had their wishes come true. They got their hard-hitting, newsworthy news story this past summer. Iran was in turmoil after a rigged election, and the news of the opposition’s struggle for freedom permeated the newspapers, the cable news stations, and the Internet. For me it was incredibly meaningful coverage of an important issue. I was inspired to see such time devoted to an event/issue that was worth coverage.
And then I feel like many network executives go their wish when Michael Jackson died. Why would I say this? I can imagine the ratings may have taken a dip with the coverage of Iran (just too depressing!) so something as sensational as the King of Pop dying was better for business.
This is an example of what frustrates me about the United States. Thousands of people are losing their lives and freedom for the chance to have their vote counted, for the chance to speak freely about their government and their country, and we turn the channel, turn the page to a story about a popular celebrity who dies. Since more people started watching it, it was better for business, and thus the media storm about Iran clicked over to MJ.
I’m not saying the death of Michael Jackson should’ve been ignored. I’m saying that it should not have hijacked an important story, something we all should and need to hear about.
I cannot point all my fingers at entertainers, as I’ve obviously implicated the media in the above paragraphs. But entertainers are feeding a need. They are part of the suppliers and many of us, as insatiable consumers, are part of the demanders. But at what point would they say, “Maybe instead of talking about what I’ve accumulated with my fame and wealth, I should talk about the meaningful things I’ve done with it.” And if they’ve done nothing meaningful, should we be employing them? Or should we fire them?
I realize that entertainers donate far more than any other category of professions, whether with time or money. And many do actually raise awareness about important causes, advocate for this or that, and integrate important issues into their craft. But I feel many could do a far better job at pointing the camera away from their own faces, and onto the faces of those in need. Or do something that's even more effective: point the cameras at organizations that are making a positive impact. |
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