The Types Of Celebrity Politicians: CP1 And CP2

There are two different kinds of celebrity politicians the CP1 & CP2.

CP1

CP1 is the celebrity turned politician, this person is the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. The CP1 uses their charisma and popularity in order to appear virtuous in order to be elected. The CP1 has no political background and is famous for another reason, may it be singing, acting, wrestling or a profession of any calibre. Other CP1s are the politicians who use their contacts with celebrities to enhance their appearance, politicians often form friendships with celebrities in order to gain following from their fan bases. An example of this would be Tony Blair posing in photos with the English national football team. John Street, (2012) or Hilary Clinton appearing on the Ellen show, showing a different, fun, side of her personality.

‘Political figures may show up anywhere, at any time, doing anything, without being thought odd, presumptuous, or in any way out of place. Which is to say, they have become assimilated into general television culture as celebrities’. Neil Postman (1987, 135)

CP2

The CP2 is the celebrity who does not look to be elected but uses their popularity in order to appear authoritative. They use this ‘authority’ to voice their opinions on political matters and share their views with their audience with no real background in politics- this can be seen as a good and a bad thing. As written in John street (2012) It refers to the entertainer who pronounces on politics and claims the right to represent peoples and causes, but who does so without seeking or acquiring elected office. A really relevant example of this is Taylor swift’s recent Instagram post, Taylor Swift put up a very lengthy Instagram post regarding exactly who she is voting for in the up and coming election and why. This is controversial as Taylor Swift in the past has specifically said she for a reason doesn't voice her political views and she thinks it could influence others. But the spike in figures also shows that these CP2’s have a real influence on people and their opinions do in fact matter to their audiences. ‘. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. ’ Taylor Swift (2018). Other examples of CP2s are Leonardo DiCaprio and Bob Geldof.

N. B. - Charitainment under powerless elite

Leonardo DiCaprio uses his instagram to shed light on environmental issues and he produced a documentary called Before the Flood about climate change. Leonardo donates money to environmental charities and encourages his audience to also. During an oscars speech Dicaprio states “Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people out there who would be most affected by this. For our children’s children, and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed. . . Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted. ”

The criticism of celebrity Politics-Celebrity politics is criticised for many reasons. The CP1- The CP1 is essentially a celebrity who has been elected, have they been elected for their political ideology or because of who they are, the CP1 can use their popularity and celebrity status rather than their education in politics to represent themselves, this is where the line between celebrities and politicians is becoming increasingly blurred. John Street (2012) states that the CP1 ‘impoverishes the relationship between representative and represented by marginalising issues of political substance in favour of irrelevant gestures and superficial appearances’.

The CP2- The critique of the CP2 is that these celebrities are voicing their opinions to their audience with no substance or education behind them, all of what they say can be opinion based with no evidence behind what they're saying