On Nov. 17, 2006, The Salt Lake Tribune published an article entitled, “Idolizing Celebrities Instead of Deity.” The article contended, “that for many of us – celebrity has replaced deity.” But unlike traditional celebrity-worship, celebrities were becoming increasingly revered as sources of great wisdom and guidance. Even though most have zero credibility! At the time — for some thinking people — it seemed hilarious. Ridiculous. So much so, that a young woman on a college public speaking team I was coaching at the time wrote and performed a speech about it, “Celebrauthority!” We made the word up … just like “experts” at colleges often do.
The speech defined celebrauthority as: celebrity plus anything equals authority. The student argued that, because of the internet and social media, celebrities were imposing ceaseless and baseless influence on culture and society. She had a lot of fun and competitive success speaking, at the expense of celebs like Bono, Kirstie Ally, Courtney Cox, Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, to name a few, for their authoritative eminence on everything from relationships to the environment.
There was no shortage of great material to make a speech to entertain. Sadly, however, it’s now 2024. And as was recently witnessed with our presidential election, celebrities have reached levels of authority far beyond good material to laugh about. On July 10, writing for the New York Times, actor George Clooney (aka George Burnett, “the janitor” from the 1979 sitcom “The Facts of Live”) had decided it was time for Joe Biden to step down from his job as the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. Clooney’s article was entitled, “George Clooney: I love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.” Of course the first words of the article are “George Clooney.”
Soon after, appearing to submit to celebrauthority, Biden coronated Vice President Kamala Harris. Apparently no questions or votes were needed. Instantly Hollywood blessed the coronation and went into collective celebrauthority hyperdrive. Pridefully! When the queen of all celebrauthority, Oprah Winfrey spoke (for $1 million dollars) at the Democratic National Convention, she said, “Voting is the best of America. And I have always, since I was eligible to vote, I’ve always voted my values. And this is what is needed in this election now more than ever.”
The day before the election, according to The Independent, Oprah said, “If we don’t show up tomorrow, it is entirely possible that we will not have the opportunity to cast a ballot again.” — i.e., if we don’t vote the way “O” says, it’s over!
Two weeks earlier former President Barack Obama took the stage, rapping “Lose Yourself,” as he fawned over Eminem on stage at a Harris rally in Detroit. Obama is testimony of just how intoxicating the influence of celebrauthority is. After his rap, Obama said, “We don’t need to see what an older, loonier Donald Trump looks like with no guardrails. America is ready to turn the page.”
Clooney, Oprah, Slim Shady, combined with 99.9% of the sheep in Hollywood, with the support of Obama, united to make it clear “who America was to vote for.” But, they failed. How can this be? Clooney decided the immediate future of the Democrat Party. Oprah preached about it. Marshal Mathers rapped about it. And President Obama championed it. What happened? Could it be that it was the prose of Clooney that “turned the page?” That Americans are tired of the same script, that is, celebrities and big-media peeing on our legs and telling us “it’s raining?” Could it be “the facts of life” for regular working people, young, old, moms, dads, grandpas, grandmas, parents with little girls and boys, to feed, care for, protect, and teach their values to, people from all backgrounds — that “the facts of life” for most Americans are very different than that which celebrities celebrate both on and off screen, and push on the rest of us?
Has celebrauthority finally been called out, or, I pray, canceled? Only time will tell. But thank God, if only for a moment, Hollywood and its Siamese twin the mainstream media have been humbled. Maybe consumers will begin to “draw their own lines” and build their own “guardrails” for wisely choosing which celebrities to financially support, and which not! And what if Americans were to lean more into God and away from the (g)ods “we pay” to entertain us?
Duane Smith
Agua Dulce
