Opinions and Qualifications
I am going to air a pet peeve today. It irks me when members of the media are interviewing celebrities and ask said celebrity for their opinion on various current events. As if everyone wanted to know what Britney Spears thinks about the war in Iraq or what Paris Hilton has to say about family values. Oh, I forgot, Madonna is lecturing on family values these days. I am not impugning Britney, Paris, or Madonna. I just think their opinion is of little value given their expertise on the given subjects.
If I am in the gallery at the 15th hole at Augusta, my opinion about Tiger's club selection is laughable. Not that I am a moron, but I am when it comes to golf.
Sometimes the media is not to blame. The celebrity is not asked for an opinion, but one is given anyway. The usual venue for unsolicited opinions is often awards shows. Some actor receives an award for acting and they feel empowered to use that soap box to promote their own political view, as if we should give a rat's arse.
Let's take this idiocy to its logical conclusion. Let's say Katy Couric wakes up with some medical problems; nothing serious, a pounding headache, coughing up blood, and a growth the size of a golf ball coming out of her neck. Would Katy call Britney Spears or Hillary Clinton for their medical opinion? If one of Jay Leno's cars is on the fritz, would he phone Elton John or a mechanic?
Celebrity worship leads to this sort of thing. I suppose the logic goes something like this. Gee, so and so can read jokes on TV and make me laugh, I wonder what they think I should do with my 401K? Celebrities have no special powers of insight or brilliance. They are just people. More often than not, they are people with more problems than the people seeking their uneducated counsel.
I don't want the guy who slept at the Holiday Inn Express flying the plane, I want a real pilot. I hope my doctor has a medical degree, and when I want to be entertained, I will check out a celebrity.
This concludes my unsolicited rant.
Until the next time
John Strain