During this heated political season, many people have decided to voice what they believe in regarding certain issues and candidates. Celebrities are no exception here. Miley Cyrus visited a college campus to campaign for Hillary Clinton and Ellen DeGeneres voiced her public support for Clinton on her talk show. After Donald Trump was announced to be the President Elect, celebrities voiced their opinions more than ever before, the majority of them disapproving of Trump's victory. Most recently, Meryl Streep referenced Donald Trump during her Academy Awards acceptance speech. Though she never said his name directly, she clearly referenced this past political season and even discussed controversies Trump has been apart of, such as mocking a disabled reporter.
Celebrities have voiced political opinions and support for certain candidates in the past, but with the rise of social media and an overall heated and controversial political season, it seems as though we now hear celebrities discussing politics more than they discuss their work. This has left many people asking the question: "Should celebrities be talking about politics?" Whenever an article is posted about a celebrity voicing their political views, the comments section is slammed with people condemning them for doing so. They often state that celebrities have no business discussing political issues because they have no background in this field. They feel that celebrities should "stick to their job" of entertainment and leave their political opinions out of the media.
As citizens of the United States, we have the right to state our political opinions openly and freely. Our ability to discuss politics with one another and campaign for causes we believe in is something that makes this country so wonderful. It's how we can make decisions that will benefit our country most and reflect what the people want. At the end of the day, celebrities are human beings just like you and me and should therefore be able to express their opinion just like everyone else. Disagreeing with celebrity opinions isn't the issue. Just like they have the right to state their opinions, you have the right to state your disagreement. The issue here is that people believe celebrities shouldn't be able to say anything about politics at all and, frankly, this idea isn't fair. We don't tell anyone else to stop discussing politics because they have never had a career in such a field. Whether you're a senator or a construction worker, you have the ability to voice your opinion in various ways, including social media and physical campaigning. Why should celebrities be excluded from this ability when they are citizens and human beings equal to you and me? Why are you able to discuss politics as a dental hygienist but not as an entertainer? Granted, they do have a larger audience listening to them than you or I do. However, this shouldn't mean they should remain silent when it comes to their beliefs. They can't really help that their messages are spread by many people. We too have the power for our words to be heard by many people, and that's often our desire. At the end of the day, you choose whether or not you listen to Meryl Streep's acceptance speech. If you don't want to hear what she has to say, you don't have to listen. But her freedom of speech should not be restricted just because she happens to be popular in society.
