It has been pointed out that, those who have the ability to reach a large audience and influence people’s viewpoint, have an obligation to act responsibly.
Not every one, no.
Wanting to look up to people and seek guidance, direction, insights, hints, tips, what have you, seems to be an incurable human condition. The trajectory is laughably predictable, we enamor ourselves of an idea, locate some one who, in our eyes, embodies it, then proceed to create a pedestal, place the person on it and finally, inevitably, getting disappointed and enraged, demolish the altar and the statue; only to start all over again.
We did that with people with abilities ranging from physical, intellectual, mystical, and ideological; then we started settling with people who could speak well and organize and then, settled on those who seemed to amass wealth and fame. Inexorably then, at some point we, as a society, looked at our paid entertainers and found them appropriate role models.
We bestowed upon them our keen attention, bordering on devotion really, and wide-eyed enthralled following and somewhere along the way forgot, just simply forgot, that these are, when all is said and done, paid entertainers. We pay them to dance and act and jump and sing and lure us thousand different ways. The relationship is, or should be, very simple – I pay, you perform. If you do not like the payment, you do not perform, if I do not like your performance I hire another performer next time.
Instead, we string a veritable garland of socio-political expectations and wrap it around the performer’s neck.
Then comes the inescapable moment where we stop the strutting, twirling performer and ask him/her, “What is your take on Israel –Palestine conflict? Where do you stand on the refugee/migrant debate? Do you think our country is doing enough to battle climate control? Have we, as people, become intolerant?”
Cue the uproar, whatever the provided answer may be!
The Fiber Optic Quill 