Does Someone Else's View Affect YOURS?

Recently, I read an article where a well-known author was shaming a Christian Church for basically not allowing homosexual unions, and it got me thinking... why do celebrities think we care?  Now, the moral issues/flawed rational of the statement has been addressed by me on Google+, so I don't really want to get into here.  This post is more about why certain people in the public eye think they are a moral authority.

There will always be those who genuinely want to share their views, believing their views are righteous and correct.  However, no one's views are always accepted 100%.  Why?  Because someone will always have a contradicting view!  No one thinks exactly like you.  This is why communication is such a big problem in all  forms of relationships.

Now, one has to have an ego the size of Texas to believe that their beliefs trump a religion that has existed longer than them, trump a God who has handed down moral laws going back thousands of years, but hey, they're a celebrity and people will have to listen to them.  Nope.  I know many people that do not care about celebrities or their voting habits or their opinion.  I mean... many celebrities can't even bother to sign autographs for us common folk.

So, who can "celebrity" have an effect on?  The young.  Young people want to be like their favorite personality.  They want to dress like them, smell like them, do the things that they do, etc.  They do not know that the perfumes that are being marketed aren't actually worn by the personality.  They just want it.  They want clothes from their favorite celeb's clothing line.  They do not realize that some of those designs, probably most, were thought up by young designers and the celeb just approves them, putting their name on the label.  Even those charity events you see on television that cement your belief in the caring generosity of that public figure is an act.  Some celebrities get paid big bucks to be at those events.

The young are the most impressionable and many in the public eye know how to use media to sway public opinion.  They will say that religion is outdated, and those who do not know better would agree.  They will say "I believe this, so it is right", and those who do not know better would agree.  But no celebrity should be the moral authority of your life.  Consider the rampant drug use in Hollywood or the philandering.  The rich and famous use and exploit more young girls than small countries.  Drugs are offered at Hollywood parties like candy.  These people are human and flawed.  They shouldn't be the voice of morality for anyone, perhaps many need to seek out someone to help them.

So, the next time your favorite author, actor, or musician asks you to vote for something or support a cause that you are not actively pursuing already, take it with a grain of salt.  Remember, many celebrities supported Obama and got him into the White House for two terms... What a raging success that has been!  Many journalists and political science specialists say that he will go down in history as the worst president ever!  But, hey, celebrities dig him.  I hear some visit him for private meetings in the White House.  Why not?