In the world we live in, celebrities are similar to gods. We look to them for guidance in opinions and lifestyle. These celebrities are asked to give presidential endorsements, offer their opinions on civilian pay and to explain what is morally correct. Looking at these celebrities, we notice they typically lean towards liberal viewpoints held by the Democratic party.
With the “Me Too” movement, many artists are finally coming out with stories of what has occurred in the industry. In addition to their industry stories, celebrities have been sharing their feelings towards our current political situation. While looking through Golden Globe speeches and multiple interviews, I ask these questions: Why are these people practically all on the same side of politics? Why is this side liberal?
The answers to these questions come with a range of opinions. All we can do is speculate and find common patterns. In articles from the New York Times, Washington Post, written interviews with Dr. Steven Ross and video interviews with various celebrities, these theories emerged.
Theory One
The first theory I came across was of unions. Artistic careers are risky and many artists become part of a union to receive decent pay and work. Artists become dependent on their unions and therefore are heavily influenced by them. Unions have historically tended to lean towards liberal politics. They’re here for the underdogs of this world. From the working class of the 1800s to now, they support those who are struggling for equal working environments. Federal funds are often given to unions and those funds are historically promoted by the liberal agenda. In searching for this information, I was reminded of the age-old saying, “Follow the money.” Union money often tracks back to the government.
Theory Two
The second theory focuses on empathy and emotion and how those relate to the left side. Generally, artists tend to be more emotionally wired. Artists often have the ability to feel genuine empathy for people due to putting themselves into other people’s shoes. Through acting, the ability to feel emotion for those who are hurting or discriminated against comes easily. Artists feel a need to be the voice for those who are shut down. The liberal side of the political spectrum often focuses on the need for our country to become more accepting, so artists agree with these beliefs.
Democrats are often charismatic in their approach to discussion. They keep calm tones of voice and focus on moral issues. These issues, like gay rights, racial discrimination and abortion are topics the Democratic Party presents calmly and confidently. Meanwhile, the Republican Party tends to speak intensely about numbers and confusing international issues. We are often uneducated in these areas, and the poor showmanship of the more conservative side is not at all attractive. So, celebrities look towards the issues they understand and support. The “Me Too” movement and feminism, for example, influence their political decisions. These two hot topics are ideas which famous actors like Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks discuss in interviews together, and they are both greatly supported by liberal thought.
Theory Three
It all has to do with money. This idea was mostly explained from a conservative view shared by producer-songwriter Rob Long in an interview with Variety. He brought up how the biggest celebrities rarely see a paycheck. They don’t necessarily see money being taken out of what they are paid. In an interview with Tom Hanks, he admitted he had no idea what he was paid for his movie “The Post.” These well-off celebrities have employees to handle their funds, so the artists don’t see the taxes. The Democratic Party, though, usually promotes taxes to fund things like welfare and unions. After the biggest celebrities form opinions on candidates that are rooted in emotion on candidates rather than for monetary reasons, the rest follows with a team mentality.
Are these celebrities we look up to truly informed on every aspect of the candidates they are endorsing? Or are they just focusing on subjects they are emotionally connected to?
