[MatekCopatek]

To me, it's an integral part of celebrity. We expect them to be role models, give up their privacy and generally hold them to higher standards, so why shouldn't they be able to use their fame to support something they believe in?

[koheripbal]

> We expect them to be role models

This seems like an odd expectation since so few of them have functional relationships and are an endless source of scandal.

Also, literally nothing about their profession makes them an authority on any political, social, or human rights issue.

[MatekCopatek]

Agree on both counts, I don't think worshipping celebrities is doing us much good. But the fact is that we (as a society) currently do it, so it seems unfair to be upset when they use their platform for something political.

[khawkins]

It's always fair to be upset when people use a powerful platform to spread ill-considered ideas, slander, and/or divisive rhetoric. Everyone agrees with this. If celebrities are significantly more likely to do this because they live sheltered lives and don't spend significant amounts of time considering what they call for, then they're more likely to use their platform irresponsibly.

But the more prevalent issue is that using their platform politically results more in tribalism than the genuine changing of minds.

[MatekCopatek]

It's one thing to be upset at a specific instance of a celebrity expressing a horrible opinion. I'm totally down with that.

What was commenting on here was a wider remark that celebrities should just avoid making political comments in general. "He's a football player, he should just play football. Keep politics out of sports."

This is the part I find unfair. If Kanye West has an opinion on global warming, we shouldn't reject it by default. If it's harmful, we should criticize it proportionaly to the reach of his platform (so... A lot). And if the negative effects get out of hand, we should be educating people on getting their environmental information from reliable sources, not limiting Kanye's freedom of speech.

[khawkins]

I'm not totally against, in general, artists and celebrities publicly sharing political opinions, but I am saying that those places which are supposed to be shared, places of common unity, shouldn't become places of polarization. Kanye West is welcome to have political opinions and go on podcasts and share them, but it would be inappropriate to bring them to something like the Grammys or a late-night talkshow. Colin Kaepernick is welcome to go to a BLM rally, but when he creates a spectacle of it on the field, he's wholly inconsiderate of those who don't agree with that sort of cop-hating message. People criticized him a lot for it, but is anything better for it?

These things aren't changing minds, they're just dividing people. People who agree with the messages feel good about it, and people who disagree turn away. Right-leaning people, who would otherwise hold Kaepernick in high regard as representing their city, now see him as an enemy, and he holds them in the same regard. This sort of thing is happening everywhere now, and it is what it is, but no one should be surprised when the country becomes increasingly polarized and uninterested in any sort of unity.