Celebrities Endorsements: Are they really helping to Change the World?

In my previous post, I chose to explore the program Inner-City Arts and how it is changing the lives of at risk children in the downtown Los Angeles area. There are many organizations that are committed to changing the world, like Inner-City Arts, but what many of theses organizations and non-profit charities want is to bring their causes to the attention of the public. They have to do this because unfortunately one person alone cannot change the world. In efforts to solve this problem the most unlikely of methods is used to draw the publics attention to various causes: Hollywood Superstardom. Celebrities are now promoting various charities and organizations. Inner-City Arts, for example, has used this method of reaching out to the public by honoring the star of the hit television show Friends, Lisa Kurdrow and Grey’s Anatomy star, Sarah Rameriz. Because of the media tabloids and the fascination the American public has with celebrities, charities have found that this is a great avenue to broadcast their causes to the American public. Although this may be a great way to bring important issues to Americans, is using Hollywood stars the ethical way to do so? I chose to explore other blogs that offered their insights and opinions on the trend of using fame to endorse charities/ organizations. One of the blogs I discovered was, Wired blog network. Although this is a music-based magazine that sponsors the blog, the post by Eliot Van Buskirk addressed the celebrity charity endorsement trend. This blog’s particular post was titled “Is it so bad that Bono does good?” This post tackles the idea of Bono, lead singer of the popular band U2, using his fame to bring attention to the AID’s epidemic in Africa. I commented on this blog (as seen below) because I like the way the author took many of the pros and cons of using celebrities to better the world in his argument. Another way celebrities are brining attention to the problems facing the world today is by adopting at risk children from all different parts of the world. On the families.com adoption blog, I chose to comment on the post “Celebrity Adoption-Hurting or Helping the Adoption Community?” by the blogger Shoshanna Grey. I commented on this post, (also seen below) because celebrities have made a trend, of helping children not by just making a donation, but by actually taking children in as their own.

“Is it so bad that Bono does good?”

Comment:
I would like to thank you for your detailed and in-depth post about Bono and his efforts to battle the AID’s epidemic in Africa. I found your findings very informative because of the connection that is not highly publicized between American politics and celebrities. It is often not explained how much celebrities are really involved in various causes, and I found it refreshing to know Bono, was not just a face on the campaign but politically active as well. I was wondering what you thought of the RED campaign that became very popular within the last few years that Bono actually started. Do you think it was wrong for the RED campaign to use only celebrities in their ads, because I do not think all of those celebrities, such as Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Gardner, are as committed to the cause as Bono himself. Also, although Bono had made such great efforts to help the Aids foundations, his particular campaign has turned into a trend itself. I do not think that companies such as Apple and Motorola should be turning a profit because of the AIDs epidemic in Africa on their iPods and phones. I feel this campaign for Bono’s foundation, is just trendy. By having endorsed products, the focus has moved away from actually getting people involved in the cause. You had mentioned in your post that celebrities could hurt social issues and causes rather then helping them, if they are using the cause as a publicity stunt to cover up bad behavior. I thought this was a very good point and it made me rethink about the different celebrities that have used charities as a “cover-up” for their own problems. I was also wondering what your thoughts were about celebrities who are just donating money rather then taking an active political position on various issues? It is often publicized that pictures of newborn celebrity children are sold to magazines at a high price, and these profits are then donated to charity. I am not sure if this helps the cause but it defiantly seems unethical to me when the celebrities are selling their children’s picture and donating the money. This ploy, although it has raised massive amount of money, does not seem like it is really helping the cause.
“Celebrity Adoption-helping or Hurting the Adoption Community?”

Comment:
Thank you for your post on the celebrity adoption issue. Adoption is very important, and I know in American society it may even be seen as taboo; but, with the influx of celebrities choosing to adopt children, which would otherwise grow up in bad conditions and or unhealthy environments, it is becoming more popularly accepted. Although I do think adoption is a great option, I myself do think that celebrities making adoption a trend is not always helpful. I feel theses orphans, in some cases, are being used as publicity stunt. You did mention Angelina Jolie as one of the celebrities who has adopted children, but when she adopted her first son Maddox, she did so right after her scandalous break up with her former husband Billy Bob Thorton. Secondly, Meg Ryan brought her child home years after from China after years of the  tabloids has accusing her of cheating on her ex Dennis Quaid. Maybe these celebrities had always planned on adopting, but their timing was closely connected to when the media put a spotlight on their personal lives. Also, because of the emotional connections made when adopting a child, I was wondering if you thought that growing up in the spotlight is the best thing for these adopted children? I have a close friend who is adopted and growing up she told me that she and other adopted children she knew had problems grasping who they really were. I would imagine that growing up in the public eye, for an adopted child, would only make these children more out of touch with their place in the world. I do think that with the celebrities’ help of adopting children it has become more “normal”, which I think could better the adoption community. What I find the most concerning is that it is now a trend in Hollywood and adoption should not be trendy. The children are not little dogs that you can carry around in a purse. It is a serious commitment to take care of child and all that goes with it.