I suppose I deserve to be hit by the surreal silliness of this, since I chose to read MSNBC.com’s Scoop page today - here goes:
That just sounds retarded. And can you imagine that bozo’s business card?
The fact that actors feel they even have a need for a political advisor is…disturbing.
RikWriter, I am equally disturbed.
Having said that, I have to place the blame squarely on “us”, the American public. If any of us are at all willing to take political/issue direction from a narcissistic (not just Pitt, but my opinion of the type of person who becomes an actor/actress), then we deserve ridicule.
Hell, I had 4 years of Political Science education at a fine university, and I don’t feel qualified to spout dogma and offer direction. If anything, I became jaded once I found out how stuff works…too bad actors don’t do the same with their inflated egos.
And if my main client as a political advisor were to be an actor…I’d go apply for burger-flippin’.
-Cem
Yeah, that’s just the thing. I have a degree in History, have taken numerous political science courses and stay very informed wrt politics, yet if someone said “You should make a documentary backing your beliefs and try to distribute it” or “you should testify before congress on this issue,” I would say “Hell no!” I am not by any means an expert. I have a right to share my opinions, as does Brad Pitt, but I know enough to recognize my comparative ignorance. I wish most actors would realize that being famous doesn’t make them an expert on anything except being famous.
Maybe that’s why he hired a political advisor.
How does one get this job and where can I apply?
That would be a fantastic side-gig.
“Umm yeah… Brad… so Darfur:bad…global warming:bad… eliminating diseases:good…Presidential candidates: still gathering information so you can make informed choice. Can I use one of your beach houses next week?”
Celebrities babbling about politics is about as annoying as Tom Cruise babbling about the history of psychiatry.
Little do they know how foolish it makes them look. If only they know that their only fans that took them seriously on these issues were the same ones who digest US Weekly and People magazine as their primary source of world events.
I think this is key. Actors are horrible about this, and musicians (especially rock and country) are even worse. The worst is when they say they feel they have a “duty” or “responsibility” to use their fame to raise awareness of [insert cause here]. No, idiot, you have a duty and responsibility to be as informed a participant as possible in the democracy in which you live.
The funny thing is, celebrities in most other media don’t do this. It’s fairly rare to hear a professional athlete, for example, using interviews to espouse specific political causes. Yet among rock musicians, it’s pretty much expected.
This is reality. People look to actors for political wisdom. Pitt at least seems to be making an attempt to handle this reality responsibly by seeking informed advise. We’d probably be better off if more celebrities had political advisors.
Actually, I LOVED watching Tom cruise spout on Psychiatry! I just about wet myself when he put on “Serious Look #4”, and accused Matt Lauer of being glib. If I were Matt Lauer, I would have had problems not laughing in his face (not that he’s a white-tower brilliance, but I’m guessing he’s at least picked up something throughout the years).
What makes the celebrity thing a little scary in my book is that it’s being pushed by a huge PR machine, and “faced” by people who have had training in manipulation (“acting”, IMHO), and may have some charisma. Accuse Nutty Tommy of whatever, but he’s got Charisma in spades.
-Cem
So, ok, let me see. Today’s outrage is fueled by MSNBC’s Scoop page, which quotes some guy claiming to be Brad Pitt’s “political advisor” in People magazine. Oh yeah, get the tar and feathers.
Sorry, I won’t believe it until it appears in the National Enquirer.