Rocking the Vote

I've long held that celebrities have very little influence on the electorate, other than their ability to raise money and bring attention to a particular cause. This article supports my contention.

The problem with celebrities is that they confuse adoration for their WORK with adoration for THEMSELVES. In other words, Bruce Springsteen figures that if 20 million people buy his music, they must love HIM. While that may be the case for some lonely, middle-aged women, the majority of Springsteen fans like his MUSIC. That's an important distinction that people like Springsteen are unable to draw.

This kind of thinking on the part of artists leads to an inflated view of self, which in turn leads to pronouncements on any number of issues. Look, just because somebody likes Ashanti's music doesn't mean they're interested in her views on stem-cell research - or the presidential election.