Over break, I admittedly watched a ton of TV. I am very passionate about theatre and acting and I was thrilled when I saw just how involved celebrities are with certain causes and charities. I find it particularly inspiring that a lot of causes that celebrities support are the ones that don’t always get a lot of attention. I am sometimes bothered by the fact that the news and media only focus on particular causes and charities and not at all on others, so it was great to see how many celebrities were really passionate about causes that are less well known. Cystic fibrosis is a cause that does not get nearly enough attention. Many people do not understand the seriousness of this disease and how significantly it can impact one’s life. All of the funding for this disease is private, so charities like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation need all of the help and donations that they can get. One of the main sources of support for this cause is Celine Dion. By publicly supporting the cause I am sure that she has brought much needed awareness about the disease.
Some people argue that celebrities are just supporting causes mindlessly in order to gain fame, but I’d like to think that this for the most part isn’t the case at all. Many celebrities have a deep personal connection to certain organizations, charities and causes. I have heard people say that celebrities are exploiting a cause for their own benefit, but I just don’t think this is true, after all even if they just bring attention to a cause that hasn’t gotten much in the past aren’t they already doing their part? What are your opinions on this?
February 6th, 2013 at 7:39 pm
I really like that you bring up the correlation between public figures and charity work. There are plenty of public figures who are known for supporting certain causes and even though I do believe that some of them do it for selfish reasons, you are still correct in that it still brings attention to their cause, some of which might not have been that known beforehand. Take for example Paris Hilton who worked for the Vote or Die campaign, which sought to encourage young voters to get out to the polls and vote during the 2004 election. After the election it was discovered that Hilton herself wasn’t even registered. So obviously she wasn’t doing the work because she cared, but it still got people’s attention and made them think. So, even if they don’t actually have intentions of making a difference, they might still be. Oh, by the way if you are interested in doing service with the CFF, I know of many events that they do in the area.
February 6th, 2013 at 8:24 pm
I really like that you bring up the correlation between public figures and charity work. There are plenty of public figures who are known for supporting certain causes and even though I do believe that some of them do it for selfish reasons, you are still correct in that it still brings attention to their cause, some of which might not have been that known beforehand. Take for example Paris Hilton who worked for the Vote or Die campaign, which sought to encourage young voters to get out to the polls and vote during the 2004 election. After the election it was discovered that Hilton herself wasn’t even registered. So obviously she wasn’t doing the work because she cared, but it still got people’s attention and made them think. So, even if they don’t actually have intentions of making a difference, they might still be. Oh, by the way if you are interested in doing service with the CFF, I know of many events that they do in the area.
February 6th, 2013 at 11:20 pm
This situation truly applies to the celebrity in question. Celebrities are people, JUST LIKE US. We all know wonderfully kind people, and we all know those sour, prickly, greedy people. Different celebrities/people fall into different categories. It’s not right to make a gross generalization and say that all celebs are into promoting a charity for the publicity perks. But at the same time it would be unrealistic to say that they’re completely in it for selfless reasons. In my social psych class, we talked about the differences in WHY people do things: how much is for the benefit of others, how much is for personal gain, and what aspects of action fall in between. Each person (that means celebrity, too!) can decide where their loyalties fall: to themselves or to others.
February 7th, 2013 at 12:55 am
I believe that it just depends on the celebrity. Some celebrities really care about what their charity is and then others just do it so they can benefit themselves. The celebrities that do really care, usually have a background with that charity.
February 8th, 2013 at 5:36 pm
Continuing with the same idea I commented on in Mimi’s post about TOMS, I think sometimes we need to look beyond what it takes to “sell” the foundation if its getting work done. As long as celebrities are providing accurate information, does it really matter what the motivation is? As long as what they are doing is a good way of supporting the cause, I think its irrelevant what their motive is. Who knows, they could spark people to take an interest in something they never thought of before (like Cystic Fibrosis), which is what really counts.
February 18th, 2013 at 1:59 am
‘We don’t see the world as it is, we see it as we are!’
Celebrities are a controversy all on their own. Celebrities like Justin Bieber are extremely wealthy and very influential to the young due to their popularity. However, being more popular doesn’t mean more right!
If JB had not been born for example, the world would not be any different at all! It’s not like he’s created a common invention people use daily! Just sub-par music! If someone like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates have not been born for example, the world would have been completely different today.
And yet, who gets the most fame out of the three of them? The unimportant JB of course. Which doesn’t make sense, but ‘knowledge is perception!’ ‘we don’t experience the world as it is, we experience it as we are!’