Paparazzi Politics

In this current Presidential election cycle, the tone of campaign strategy is less “showing” and more “telling”. Candidates are less engaged in earning votes by demonstrating competence, but rather, in many ways, by simple demand. In some ways, each candidate is simply running a campaign that suggests, plainly, “I am not the other candidate”. This makes the candidates much more out in front of any of the half-dozen top concerns for Americans. The economy, multiple wars, immigration, national division, and abortion rights are all together fighting for their rightful place in the conversation, however, the candidates themselves are the dominating force.

Perhaps the biggest issue is the names at the top of the election card. While one candidate struggles to talk about policy topics, the other struggles to stay on topic when they talk. Mostly, this election is a battle that can be described in almost mythological terms, with each candidate shouldering a larger historical, metaphorical burden than ever before. What I mean by that is–I think their respective supporters seem to believe in each candidate as a kind of politician-as-folk-hero, and should they claim victory, all wrongs will be righted, as a consequence of a mythological, virtuous mystique.

The candidates, as ubiquitous and relentless fixtures of our 24-hour news cycle, want you to like them, for themselves, and perhaps they too believe that if only they are liked more, then they will cede victory, and the world may right itself as if by political osmosis. Policy is downstream of personality. 

This, you could say, is personality politics and, to some degree, has always existed. But as politics has become our main source of entertainment over the past two decades, we have seen a merging of the politician-as-celebrity, as well as the celebrity-as-politician. It is no wonder that the cozying up of these two toxic enterprises have led to an all time low in terms of public opinion and a type of cultural confusion over who is who. 

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While politics has always been mired in scandal––bribes, corruption, election interference, extramarital affairs, (etc.), have always been part of the game, one could confidently say that it is now Hollywood’s reputation and its culture that has taken many a beating over the past few decades. The Grammy’s have little merit and viewership of the celebrity pageant is down. The exact same thing can be said of the Oscars.

The downfall of Hollywood’s greatest and most notorious film producer, once fully exposed as a tyrant, a bully, and a sexual abuser, not only brought great shame to his own legacy but also to that of his many enablers–individuals, as well as a mass eye-opening to a hush-hush culture that allows open secrets of depravity to exist unchecked for decades. Too, we can recall the exotic island that was uncovered several years back by the apprehension of a mysterious financier–an island now synonymous with celebrity-filled pedophilic orgies, human trafficking, and purposeful, strategic blackmail.

Now, most recently, another series of gatherings, based on the exact same premise have been exposed, this time hosted and organized by another notorious music producer, whose name in New York, like his abusive twin spirit from Los Angeles, is synonymous with a commercially successful hit. 

Ask any American on the street what they think of Hollywood–you would think they were talking of D.C. A whole list of descriptors, from pedophilic to satanic, to evil and monstrous, the average citizen has heard and seen enough from our chauffeured, paparazzi dodging betters.

In the age of the trashy reality television star, the fraudulent, calculated nature of the social media influencer, the celebrity with an OnlyFans account, and so on, the word “fame” is certainly now a four-letter word. Another word that comes to mind might be “repulsive”. 

So, one must wonder why politicians are so ready, and perhaps feel reliant, so cozy with the celebrity endorsement dynamic. Perhaps in a world where candidates desperately cling to personality as their strength, they desperately need to show us who they are. And as the age-old adage goes, “when you show me your company, you show me who you are”.  

But I think this idea is a bit tarnished, if not absolutely sullied altogether. As the good times in America seem for many like a distant memory, the circus parade of celebrities, wide-eyed, perfect-haired, and smiling feels emptier than ever before. Many Americans see themselves in a struggle; one very real, as basic needs like groceries, healthcare, and rent are becoming more challenging, another, more metaphysical; many voters think of their vote as a soldier in the war for America’s soul, a soul that is likely not to be found in the penthouses of Hollywood, or the corridors of D.C.

It is a wonder that any politician would encourage celebrity endorsements at all. It feels a bit condescending, a bit crass, a bit cheap. I care very little about who the trending pop star feels should run the country. I care little for politically engaged social media posts, PSAs, or editorial columns penned from the leather seats of a private jet or limousine. It is hard to see how politicians do not understand that–to see that a phonebook of celebrity endorsements rings hollow, shallow, and, in fact, may hurt more than help. 

But as I said earlier, our current election cycle is much more about “telling” rather than “showing”. And a celebrity endorsement is exactly that–it is a command by a perceived better, an elite, with an established following, pointing out the way. It is not to express how they are going to vote, it is to suggest, with the full force of their popularity, how you should vote, too.

But no matter who wins or loses an election, once the votes are counted, the dust settles, the supporters all go home, and the placards and confetti are all swept up, the politicians and celebrities will slink off to their mansions for the after party, and that, we can only assume, is where the real politics begin.

Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author's own.