You don't want celebrities to shut up; you just want them to agree with you

"Shut up and dribble!" Remember that? That's what Laura Ingraham had to say to Lebron James when he had the audacity to criticize President Trump. Her assertion was that he was paid to play basketball so how dare he have an opinion on something outside of his professional expertise.

Lebron refused to back down from Ingraham

I, like most, always found that comment laughable...that is until I saw a similar comment last week. This person decided that they think all celebrities should "do what you are paid to do"; by that, they mean you should not say anything about any topic unless it pertains to your field. In their eyes, we are all defined by our job so we could not possibly have any knowledge about any topic outside of our professional sphere. If you somehow manage to possess any other knowledge (which is impossible, right?), you damn well better keep it to yourself.

Were they specifically trying to say that? Maybe not. Unfortunately, that is specifically what they were implying. The problem with that is...everything for several reasons.

1) Celebrity is not "what they are paid to do".

Celebrity is sort of a complicated word, but for simplicity's sake, let's define it as an incredibly well-known person due to their profession or community outreach. With that in mind, we will include actors, business leaders, athletes, influencers, etc. If you ask these people what their "job" is, I am positive they would not say "celebrity". So, if an actor acts and an athlete plays, they are doing what they are paid to do. Having said that, when they are not filming or playing, are these people still "working"? Absolutely not. What these people are doing or saying during their off time constitutes their personal life; just because it is often in the public eye does not make it any less personal.

Celebrities having opinions about the world around them is, at its core, no different from any of us. We sit around with friends, co-workers, family, etc. to talk about politics and the environment. Some of us volunteer to work on campaigns or help organizations that benefit the world. Are we paid to do that? Not at all. Social media allows us all to share our opinions on anything whether they are well-formed or not; in fact, social media allowed this person to share their opinion on how celebrities should not share theirs. Ironic, right?

2) We are jealous of their platform.

Whether we will admit it or not, the main reason we are mad that celebrities are sharing their opinions is that we wish we could be in their position. Seemingly overnight, every one thinks they are a political whiz-kid and a foreign policy master; the problem is that their reach is limited to the small group of like-minded individuals in their friends list. These individuals that rage against celebrity opinions simply wish they had the platform and influence that celebrities have on a daily basis. If they could get their words heard at the same magnitude that someone like Lebron James or Robert De Niro, I am pretty confident that the fame-bashing-bitch-fest would end.

Political star power is a hot issue

3) Celebrities seldom disagree with them.

Finally, the reason most people that I see hating on celebrities are angry is that these famous people simply do not agree with their views. It is no secret that most of Hollywood and Silicon Valley hold liberal views; it is also no secret that small-town central Pennsylvania is Trumplican stronghold. There is seldom a topic that these two groups would agree on. For these normal individuals, it is rare to see a celebrity agree with their views so all they see are headlines dominated by opinions that they cannot stand. Hard not to be angry, don't you think? The funny thing is these are the first people to cling to and share every word that a Republican celebrity says; just ask them how they all feel about Tim Allen and Jon Voight.

Really, what these individuals want is not for celebrities to "do what they are paid to do". They really just want more famous people to agree with them as well as a larger platform so they can share their views. This has nothing to do with someone's occupation; it has everything to do with what they think. If the rich and powerful ever make a turn to the right, these individuals will be the first people singing their praises as they applaud them for using their influence for good. However, because that is unlikely to happen, we are stuck with listening to the bitter anger of those who wish they held a bigger place in this country.