What would P. Diddy do? At the MTV Music Video Awards, this
artist’s very publicized message was “Vote or
Die.” It might seem illogical to turn to the rap star for
political advice, or any advice, but P. Diddy is not alone in his
newfound election enthusiasm. Lately, many celebrities have been
openly, if not forcefully, sharing their political wisdom.
With Ben Affleck’s appearance on the campaign trail for
Sen. John Kerry this summer, and Brooks and Dunn’s
performance at the Republican National Convention, it seems as
though celebrities and the election are the perfect match for media
attention.
The target audience for this attention is the 58 percent of 18
to 24-year-olds who did not vote in the 2000 presidential election.
Musicians are actively involved in persuading their audience to
vote with them.
On Oct. 11, in the final concert of their “Vote for
Change” tour, Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., the Dave Matthews
band, and other artists performed to benefit America Coming
Together, a project sponsored by MoveOnPAC, a leading organization
trying to defeat the re-election of President Bush.
Many musicians have dedicated themselves to this election, and
feel their efforts are reaching people. A majority of college
students consider themselves to have moderate beliefs, giving
celebrities the opportunity to influence them one way or the
other.
“Most college students enter college without their own
political view and try to find where they fit on the political
spectrum in college, so if they see their celebrity idol on one
side of politics, they are more apt to lean to that side,”
said Natalie Elliott, a fourth-year history student.
While today’s youth may be easily swayed by the opinion of
its favorite musician, some believe that a celebrity’s
political message might not translate to action in their fans.
“People are swayed by entertainers in areas like fashion,
but not in terms of politics. If P. Diddy says to vote Kerry, I
don’t think it will make a massive amount of people vote
Kerry,” said Kelly McGuirk, a third-year psychology and
political science student.
In taking a political stance, the stakes are great, and for a
high-profile musician, everything is riskier.
“The key question for artists would be whether the group
of fans who might be “˜turned off’ by overt politicizing
is larger or smaller than the group that would be attracted by such
actions,” said communication studies Professor Tim
Groeling.
In 2003, the Dixie Chicks proved to be the perfect example of
this, when they turned off conservative members of their country
music fan base, after Texan lead singer Natalie Maines announced
she was ashamed the president was from Texas. For months, radio
stations and former fans boycotted their music.
“I deleted the Dixie Chicks from my MP3 player, and so did
my cousin,” McGuirk said.
The group gained media exposure from the semi-scandal, and were
featured in the “Vote for Change” tour. While most of
their fellow country stars lean to the right, the Dixie Chicks
revel in taking the road less traveled, introducing their music to
a new audience.
“If someone pays a high price for speaking out and sticks
to their guns, there’s a meta-message that this really means
a lot to the person. On the other hand, the Dixie Chicks got a huge
amount of advertising for what they did, so they’re probably
more famous now than before,” said communications studies
Professor Francis Steen.
While the Dixie Chicks rose above their controversy, many are
uncomfortable with mixing art and politics. Many students feel
musicians are not in a position to be influencing politics, and say
their political involvement is not a fair use of power.
“Public figures like Dixie Chicks, and Bruce Springsteen
have a moral obligation not to express their political views in a
time like this where everyone is clearly on one side or the other.
This is a very crucial election and choosing sides turns away
potential audiences. I do not want to hear from people. I just want
to listen to their music,” said Kyle Davis, a second-year
civil engineering student.
In addition to the concern that it is not a musician’s
place to use publicity politically, some students feel these
artists may actually deter people from their politics.
“If musicians are going to stand up for a cause, they need
to make sure that they are helping it rather than hurting it. They
need to be articulate and intelligent. If they sound like they do
not know what they are talking about, they are not going to lend
their cause any credibility,” said Adriana Streifer, a
second-year English student.
Much of the entertainment world, primarily the music industry,
historically leans to the left. At the national conventions this
summer, musicians like the Black Eyed Peas and Carol King performed
for the Democrats, while the Republicans were entertained by
contemporary Christian artist Michael W. Smith and country star
Brooks and Dunn. And artists’ political preference often
reflects their blue/red state fan base.
Some students say a musician’s political position never
factors into their opinion of the artist. Some conservative
students said they were never fans of the Dixie Chicks or R.E.M.
and their involvement in the Kerry campaign means nothing as they
never admired them as artists.
“It’s not because Toby Keith is a conservative and
supporting the war that I hate his song. It’s because his
song is not good in general,” said Surafel Tsega, a
third-year physiological sciences student.
Whether the artists are helping or hurting their cause or fan
base, some students feel it is necessary to musicians to be
political involved. Celebrities have the opportunity to reach out
to a younger audience and make politics approachable.
“As a student that is as probably as far left as you can
get, I really support this tour for Kerry. At the same time, I am a
fan of U2. If they and Jay Leno, Colin Quinn, artists who I really
respect who are Republican, were to all band together and create a
tour, I would have to respect that. It’s interesting that
they would do that, because they are showing young people that
it’s cool to be politically passionate, and it’s not
just something for old white men,” said Rena Ramirez, a
fourth-year communications studies student.
In the end, maybe an artist’s political involvement is not
what is important. Some say that if politicians made themselves
more open and dealt with concerns of the younger vote, musicians
could be musicians and politicians be politicians.
“I’d personally rather have politicians or parties
court the youth vote rather than artists. It’s vital for
younger Americans to start voting at greater rates or they will
continue to see their interests ignored or de-emphasized in favor
of older voters, and if artists can help with that, more power to
them,” Groeling said. “But I also think relying on
these artists for advice regarding the content of one’s
political views is like relying on my mechanic for dental advice:
skills in one area of expertise don’t always translate to
another.”