…for a rant.

Okay, I was going to keep quiet on this topic, but I just can’t anymore.

I’m sick of politics. Wait, let me rephrase that. I’m sick of entertainers expounding their opinion on politics. If you are an entertainer – of any medium – your job is to entertain me. Period. Your job is not to sway me to your political viewpoint. I’m an adult. I have my own views. If I wanted to know yours, I’d ask. When I watch your movies or listen to your music or read your books, I want to be entertained. I want to lose myself in the worlds and characters you have created. But when I’m reading your book or watching your movies or listening to your latest CD and you’ve done the above, then the whole time your product is in front of me, I’m not focused on your art, I’m thinking about your last comment regarding so-and-so during such-and-such debate. Doesn’t matter if your comment was positive or negative, or even if I agreed with it – it’s still in my brain. Do you really want me thinking about that when I’m devouring your product? I don’t think so. And here’s why…look at any poll related to this election. They’re all close to 50/50. And stated simply, that means 50% of Americans are not going to agree with your political position, no matter what that may be!

The class-act entertainers, in my opinion, do not use their celebrity to push their own personal political agendas. They know that while they may be on top today, that could change in a heart beat tomorrow. They could just as easily find themselves at the bottom, struggling to gain fans once again. Instead, they work at the grass roots level, they volunteer money or time. They don’t send out political messages or leave snarky comments on message boards or publicly cheer or pout about anything political. Because they know people remember.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Some of you are thinking, “But I really BELIEVE in this. I can make a difference NOW!” Good for you. I’m glad you feel so passionately about what you believe in. I do, too, but the reality is elections come and go. Politicians serve a few years and are gone (at least from the White House…the Senate’s a whole other ball of wax), your career will span decades. There are entertainers – writers, actors, musicians – I won’t read, watch, or listen to, simply because they went off the deep end politically…no matter WHAT their viewpoint…even if it agreed with mine or not. Are you really willing to risk your career just so you can post a few snarky political comments about the election?

I don’t want to get into a political debate. So please, if you leave a comment, don’t tell me who you’re voting for and who you aren’t. But I am curious about your opinion on this topic…do you think entertainers should be using their celebrity (and careers) to expound on their political views?