Celebrities becoming politicians is a familiar concept to Americans, with the most notable examples for many being former reality TV star turned president Donald Trump, President Ronald Reagan, and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura and former senator Al Franken.
This is nothing new and it's not necessarily always a problem – the problem is when this happens the other way around. Politicians become celebrities.
It's especially shocking to see a mainstream politician at the forefront of American pop culture. Memes, Sitcom and Saturday Night Live skitToo often we see our representatives receiving attention in ways that are not commensurate with their roles as leaders and change agents.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears at the Met Gala in 2023 Wearing a dress that read “Tax the wealthy” He made a statement about uneven taxation in America.
The message is important, but where is the line between the message and glamorizing politicians? We elect politicians to work for us, not to gain status through their words.
Armel Boukadida, a junior at the University of Minnesota, said the line between politicians and celebrities is often blurred, making it difficult to gauge their true intentions.
“I think it depends on the situation and I think it depends on people's intentions, but I can only speculate,” Boukadida said. “When politicians get attention to go to places like the Met Gala, it's human nature to want to be invited or to be there. I think it's for their own benefit, but I can also understand the side of using it as a point.”
As Boukadida noted, when politicians emerge in spaces traditionally dominated by celebrities, it can be difficult to know whether they are using the public platform to raise awareness or promote themselves.
In some cases, it may be both.
Many politicians and elected officials have strong roots in the communities they represent and because our votes and opinions get them into office, we naturally have strong personal connections to them.
But these connections can cloud our judgment of their current political activities, allowing us to prioritize their character over their policies, which is usually to their benefit.
In the digital age, this is even more true: not only do we see our politicians in person or on television, but we feel connected to them every time we pick up our mobile phones.
Bemnet Tessema, a third-year political science major, said idolizing politicians is a problem, but that it can be a difficult balance to strike in the age of social media and celebrity culture.
“I think it can be distorted,” Tessema said. “Everyone has their own personal opinions about politicians, but that shouldn't reflect their political views.”
Tessema acknowledged that social media is a vital resource in 21st century politics, but said professional and personal accounts need to be kept separate to maintain boundaries for politicians.
“Social media is the first place people look for information, so it's very easy for politicians to share what they stand for in one post,” Tessema said, “but some politicians have personal accounts and official accounts, and it's important to be aware of that.”
Timberlyn Mazeikis is a senior and the founder of her university’s chapter of Students Demand Action, a division of the national gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety. In this role, she frequently meets with various elected officials both locally and nationally.
Through these meetings, Mazeikis gained insight into how the image many of them present in public differs from how they act in reality.
“The general thing I've learned from talking to lawmakers is that whatever they say to your face or post online isn't necessarily what they're actually going to do,” Mazeikis said. “It's hard because politicians have to say one thing behind closed doors and do another outside, and they want to maintain that positive public image.”
Mazeikis agreed that many politicians use social media to build supporters and make themselves look good, but said it can also be an important tool to help politicians keep their promises.
“You can use social media to tag politicians and remind them of what they promised and what they're there to do,” Mazeikis said. “You're their constituents, and they have a legal obligation to listen to their constituents.”
As Mazeikis said, politicians are there to do a job, not to be popular, and we cannot be lulled into thinking that empty promises are the truth.
Even if you really like a politician, there should be no fans among politicians.
If you're a fan of an actor, you can forgive or justify his or her poor performance in a recent feature film, but you can't do the same to justify the poor policy decisions of a politician you're a fan of.
We voted for them and paid their fees with our taxes, we should not see them as idols but as people who work for us, so we need to learn to be objectively critical of their policies.
Having this discernment is essential to holding politicians accountable. Our support should be based not on who we admire or identify with, but on where we see meaningful change.
