Alec Baldwin is the problem

Recently I read a piece where Alec Baldwin, an expert on just about anything he spouts off on, claims people who deny the existence of global warming have a form of mental illness. Now along with actor, outstanding husband and father, and political expert, we can add mental health savant to his list of credits.

Personally, I believe global warming is a problem that continues to affect our planet. However, so do celebrities with over-sized egos and a sense of self importance, two more labels you can place on Baldwin. But here is the scary thing about people like Baldwin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Rosario Dawson, and countless other celebrities who, through the exercising of their rightful free speech, manage to dumb down our nation: they are succeeding.

Seriously, anyone who casts their vote in an election based on the views of any celebrity should have their right to vote revoked for life. Why does the media insist on running stories in which actors and actresses, singers, athletes, or worst of all, reality stars, share their political, social, or scientific expertise with the world? So they are famous. What does that have to do with the discussion of world issues? Sarah Palin is not fit to comment on politics, but now she is an expert on science. I bet they miss her in Alaska.

Famous people spend entirely way too much time trying to craft an image that is designed to make them appear to be more than what they are, which is basically nothing more than someone paid entirely way too much to do something that has no real meaning to the advancement of mankind. Yes, there are a few who actually use their celebrity to advance causes, but more often than not, those who do, do so without trying to draw attention to themselves.

Prince, I was surprised to find out, was someone who used his concerts as a disguise to go into cities and sit down with leaders to discuss solutions to the problems they faced. He was not interested in going before the media and telling us who to vote for, what to think, or how to live our lives nearly as much as he was interested in working behind the scenes to help others become successful.

Sorry, the Alec Baldwins, Charlie Sheens, and endless others who whore themselves out for any kind of attention, your expertise on matters does not matter so shut up and do what it is some executive or team owner thinks you are worth millions for doing.

Back to the public. How empty is your brain that you think the celebrity you admire is worthy of influencing the way you vote or think? You are nothing more than a source of income for them. They need your ignorance to feed their wallets and egos more than you will ever realize. While you are busy trying to be like Mike or Beyonce or (fill in the blank), they are surrounded by teams of people they employ to create the impression they are perfect humans who just happen to sing, dance, throw, or fart on cue.

It’s one thing to buy a pair of shoes, pants, blouse, or hair cut because a celebrity does the same. You can still be a fashion statement and arrive at important decisions based on the intelligent examination of all sides and not because some over-paid actor or singer comes out in support of a candidate.

Imagine what this nation would look like if it was built around the thoughts and ideas of Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, or Kim Kardashian? Thanks in large part to the internet constantly needing new information to put out to us or heaven forbid they be forced to run educational and scholarly articles, we get inundated with the insightful comments about the world we live in from people who actually think they were right to hold out for a few more million dollars just to play a game or appear in a film. These are the same people who employ others to tell them what they should wear out in public because if it were left to them, well, they’d have a panic attack if they had to decide.

Believe it or not, there are actually real experts out there who are not so much interested in swaying your opinion as much as they are interested in providing us with factual information so we can study it and come to our own conclusions. It may not be as cool as a woman who “accidentally” has a well-timed wardrobe malfunction telling you to buy her music and help support orphaned whales in Malaysia (one cent of every purchase goes to their feeding while the rest goes to the celebrity), but at least you get to think for yourself. You see, most celebrities rely on you to not be able to think for yourself, which is why politicians rely so heavily on celebrity endorsements. Get it?

Now, I do not mean to contradict myself, but from time to time, there actually are some celebrities who offer us thoughtful commentary well worth thinking about. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one, although I do not really consider anyone who retired from what they did that made them famous almost 30 years ago, a celebrity. No, Abdul-Jabbar was actually an athlete who took full advantage of his college scholarship to get an education well worth making him someone who offers up thoughtful insights on our culture.

While I do not always agree with them, his essays are worth reading because they make you think rather than doing the thinking for you. I would also place Robert Redford in this category. I would not, however, put Ted Nugent on this list. I am not even sure I would call him a celebrity much less insightful.

My point is, remain in the real world and examine what real people are thinking before you rely on the views of those few people who are gifted in a way we can only dream or fantasize about. They can no more relate to you than you can relate to them.

And guess what? Politicians are not any different than someone who ends up on “Dancing With The Stars.” They are so far removed from the common citizen they need handlers to teach them how to appear real. They’re not. So when they speak, judge them not by which famous people support them, or even which politicians support them.

Arrive at your decision based on taking the time to educate yourself and by listening to what real people actually think. It may require you to listen to a little less music, watch a little less television, or play a few less video games, but at least you will be able to explain why you came to the decisions you make beyond what the average citizen does. And after all, don’t we all have egos and want to be considered experts?