The Celebrity Solution?

The list of Hollywood celebrities engaged in charitable causes continues to grow: Bono (Foreign Aid, HIV/AIDS Awareness), Paris Hilton (Save the Seals campaign, Rwanda?), Sean Penn-Mia Farrow-George Clooney (Darfur), Natalie Portman (Microfinance) and Angelina Jolie (Refugees). Admittedly, some stars (Clooney) are much more credible than others (P. Hilton). For A-list celebs in particular, where a $20M take is not atypical, a charitable cause offers a heart-warming environment for Esquire magazine to shoot you at. An industry has been created around attracting stars to causes, with Red Cross now employing a director of celebrity outreach. Angelina Jolie retains the services of the Global Philanthropy Group, an organization which offers 'comprehensive philanthropic management.'

"Do celebrities advance a cause or hinder it?"

The answer is one of degree. Stars attract wide audiences and spread awareness on key issues. They are also major donors: Drew Barrymore recently donated USD $1 million to the World Food Programme. Natalie Portman has taken up the cause of microfinance and is a major supporter of FINCA, a global microfinance organization empowering women through the provision of small loans and building community networks. Ms. Portman visits on the ground projects in Latin America and East Africa, and returned several years later to see how microfinance is positively re-shaping the lives of women in developing countries.

Increased attention also translates into enhanced fundraising and public pressure on Parliamentarians to act. Director Steven Spielberg's services were desperately sought after by a Chinese government keen to impress at the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Games. Spielberg wrote a letter to President Hu Jintao in 2007 expressing concerns about human rights abuses in Sudan and a Chinese envoy was immediately dispatched to Khartoum. Mr. Spielberg, to his credit, eventually resigned from his post as Artistic Director, a signal of his disappointment with Chinese intransigence on the genocide that continues in the Sudan.

However...

Critics point to the fickle nature of celebrities: in one moment they speak at a World Wildlife Federation event but are then photographed on the red carpet draped in exotic animal leather. Celeb hypocrisy undermines the WWF as well as the star. During the Ethiopian Famine of the mid-1980s Bob Geldof hosted Live Aid to focus the world's attention on hunger and malnutrition. This concert sustained public pressure on Western governments to act swiftly and significantly helped organizations such as the World Food Programme raise funds, intervene and combat the famine spreading across East Africa. Fast forward 20+ years and we hear Geldof, Gore and Bono towing the same line: host concerts to spread awareness on climate change and debt relief. All this is very worthy and touching.

But communications technologies significantly evolved since the 1980s; very few people in rich Western countries can legitimately claim ignorance on the issues. The problem now is not lack of awareness, it is lack of action. Spotlighting causes by hosting concerts around the globe makes for a newsworthy story one day (and Heads of State receive thousands of text messages!), but all is forgotten within a week: the CNN and BBCs of the world are off chasing new stories and public attention shifts elsewhere. No onus is placed on concert goers to take action, no sacrifice required.



Stars like Bono should consider how to influence fans' pocketbooks directly; therefore ensuring Aid agencies and responsive governments are equipped with budgets to adequately deliver services to those most in need. To Bono's credit, partnering with Apple's Steve Jobs on the Red Ipod (Red=HIV Awareness) to join the influence of popular culture with the power of the market translates into a more robust fight against HIV/AIDS.

Many stars forget that although popular and influential, they are not experts on the cause they are promoting and often confuse the broader public (Imagine Paris Hilton informing young teenage girls in America about human rights issues in East Africa???). Donald Steinberg of the International Crisis Group believes there is a tendency to treat all issues as if it's all good and evil, but sometimes you need to accept a complex truth. Unwillingness to better understand more complex truths comes at the expense of the cause. Popular culture with a heart of gold = masses living in blissful ignorance?

Celebrities are not the solution to global socio-economic challenges but they have a role to play. They have proven to be effective messengers; able to drum up wide support, sustain national attention and generate funds to very noble causes. Stars genuine in their involvement - such as George Clooney and Natalie Portman - should continue to receive our strong support and encouragement.

But adoring fans must never confuse the important contributions of their celebrities with the fundamental role played by those fighting every day on the front-lines against poverty and injustice.