R: Celebrities Should Be Political

With the advent of mass media and consumerism, men and women worldwide have increasingly turned their attention and adulation towards celebrities. These household names, mostly found in areas of popular entertainment like film, music, and sports, enjoy tremendous levels of name recognition and influence. Their product endorsements are worth millions, their books become instant best-sellers, and they regularly communicate with fans through appearances in magazines and on TV. Social media has further accentuated their status and power, as we may observe in the rise of "influencer" terminology.

Our debate this week considers whether celebrities ought to apply their influence towards the political realm. In my view, there are three broad categories of questions to consider as we approach this debate:

1) This resolution touches on the public-private distinction. Given that celebrities dwell in the public sphere, do politics have a place in their public persona? Should a person's politics be a private matter or a public one? Many of us may agree that celebrities should be free to discuss politics with friends and family, in private, but where should we draw the line? What are the appropriate channels and situations for a celebrity to voice political opinions? Some critics of Kaepernick's national anthem protests claimed that they only objected to his protests because he performed them in his capacity as a football player. Protest in your free time, they said, but not when you're on the job. Others might contend that it is dangerous to allow celebrities to publicly voice political opinions at all, given that celebrities' influence often far exceeds their thoughtfulness. But do people really derive their politics from what a favored celebrity says on social media or in an interview, the same way that they might derive their consumption preferences from that celebrity?   

2) A corollary of the affirmative seems to be that celebrities can, and in some cases should, be our politicians. Examples of celebrity politicians in the US include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, and Donald Trump. Last year, pundits speculated that Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson would seek the presidency. The recent Ukraine scandal has brought Vlodomir Zelensky, Ukraine's celebrity president, into international view. Do celebrities make good politicians? To what degree should our politicians entertain us? To what degree must our politicians be qualified and experienced? Those who believe that celebrities make poor politicians may consider criticizing the institutions that have placed such figures in office. Are democratic elections to blame? Are press freedoms and our private media industry to blame?

3a) The affirmative must contend with the unfortunate fact that celebrities tend to oppose much of that which the Federalist Party cherishes. Are we comfortable letting them speak to millions of adoring fans on a regular basis? Is it possible for conservative celebrities to emerge and replace today's progressives? 

3b) The negative, on the other hand, must consider how to prevent celebrities from being political. Are we to curtail First Amendment rights? Or are there other possibilities for censoring their speech that lie more firmly within our grasp?