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Harry Belafonte

Celebrity Culture

by Klaus Rohrich
Saturday, January 28, 2006

North america appears to be the only place on earth where someone who hasn't finished high school, but can sing or dance, can make political pronouncements and have everyone listen as if they were profound. The latest in a long line of entertainers who are choosing to yak instead of sing is Harry Belafonte, who, while cuddling up to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and claiming to be a great admirer of Fidel Castro, pronounced George W. Bush to be the world's most fearsome terrorist.

Harry, Get a life! Or better yet, move to Venezuela or Cuba, where you will find out in short order that the grass isn't really all that green on the other side. Let's face it. Harry Belafonte is a singer and an actor and any political pronouncements he makes are no more relevant or earth shattering than ones made by, say, a cab driver living in St. Louis. Belafonte never tires of slagging the nation that enabled him to attain the lifestyle which he now enjoys. He's even gone so far as to impugn the dignity of Colin Powell. What's the matter Harry; does a black man leaving the plantation bother you?

There is a real effort in our celebrity culture to ascribe more intelligence to singers, dancers and actors than they actually have. In some cases these poor souls can't even sing, act, or dance, as in Star Jones, whose recent pronouncement about Bush and Bin Laden putting "it back in their pants" is both crass and meaningless. While Jones seems well educated (being a lawyer and all), it would appear that she has forgotten about the 3,000 lost souls who were robbed of their lives on 9/11. Starlet, why not stick to getting sponsors for your life, maybe some corporation would be interested in paying for your divorce.

When it comes to air headed people talking when they should be listening, no one can even come close to Barbra Streisand. While she has an angel's voice and a true talent for acting, she appears to be way over hear head when it comes to politics. Some of her documented faux pas include flying in her fuel-guzzling, polluting private jet to Washington to meet with Bill Clinton to discuss the dangers of global warming and greenhouse gasses. Then, there is her offer of foreign policy advice to former senator Tom Daschle about the Middle East. Trouble was, she couldn't tell the difference between Iran and Iraq. It's possible she might believe that salmonella is a seafood dish.

Ben affleck is another Hollywood luminary whose participation in Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign was extremely helpful to George W. Bush. We sincerely hope he continues to campaign for the Democrats, ensuring a virtual dynasty of Republican rule. It would be best if affleck continued to make movies instead of involving himself in public politics. at least when he makes a bad movie, he gets paid. His work on behalf of John Kerry only drew criticism.

Who can forget Sean Penn's famous forays into public life? again, Penn is a talented performer who brings a great deal of passion to everything he does. His attempts at solving the world's problems are admirable, but also pitiful. How could he ever believe that he could have made a difference in visiting Iraq, or New Orleans post-Katrina, for that matter? He would have been much better off had he attended anger management classes.

One of the great problems of living in a "celebrity" culture is that anyone who can sing, dance, act or talk dirty can get their views into print, no matter how inane. When hearing these people offer their opinions, it's important that we remember they are no more profound than those offered by the guy who changes your oil.


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