Those videos make me, an ardent Obama supporter, much LESS inclined to
like him or his campaign. I am past needing cheesy songs and
celebrities to confirm my political beliefs or philosophy. I don't
think I'm the only one that finds them mildly offensive. "Oh Jessica
Alba is a Barack supporter? The Fantastic Four was so good. I'm
definitely going to vote for him."
I think it tarnishes his image as a
uniter since it once again seems to be a statement about privilege,
about power, access and fame.
I liken it in my head to the Radiohead phenomena. Part of what
made their gambit so brilliant was that for once every fan regardless
of affiliation (famous celebrity, promoter, reporter, record label guy)
was treated the same way and on equal footing: as a fan. Nobody was a
'bigger' fan than anybody else. It was a direct connection with the
artist and I didn't feel excluded or penciled into a caste system for
not having the right credentials. It felt so refreshing.
That's the same way I think about the Obama campaign. We are the ones we've been waiting for. The community.
Besides
being awful music, these videos sully that notion and seek to separate
the tiers of Obama supporters into the masses and the beautiful
celebrities. They strike exactly the wrong note for me. And it's
annoying. They feel, in fact, Clinton-esque in their self-satisfied,
pseudo-hip cloying preening.
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference 'Obama, Obama'
So Beautiful People Vote Too- Don't Hate Excerpt: Andrew Sullivan and a reader are a bit turned off by the Hollywood and Music stars making videos and public appearances in support of Senator Barack Obama. I have not seen will.i.am's latest video past the first 30 seconds because Weblog: Vibrant Life Tracked: Mar 2, 2008 10:44:13 PM
