A celebrity way of acting

Carolyne Cesar writes on why celebrities should be doing good

Angelina Jolie has spent months working with refugees; talking about their problems and helping to highlight issues Bono Vox is a dedicated campaigner for debt relief for the developing world and for raising awareness of poverty in Africa

The world of the celebrities is fascinating to a lot of people, with hundreds of magazines, TV programs, and books dedicated to famous peoples' lives. Perhaps its just natural curiosity for some, but sometimes it seems that people care more about what's going on in the lives of their favourite celebrities than what's happening in the real world around them. Soon, celebrities become examples for people to follow.

Recently there seems to be a surge in do-gooding celebrities who seem to be 'doing their bit' for the world simply by allowing their picture to appear on a charity's poster or by saying a couple of sentences over the microphone at their latest album launch. Some celebrities dig a bit deeper, donating large sums of money to charity or giving their time. Angelina Jolie, for example, has spent months working with refugees; talking about their problems and helping to highlight issues, using her prestige to discuss and educate people about the way that others live. Others headline specific campaigns, like Bono Vox for example, a dedicated campaigner for debt relief for the developing world and for raising awareness of poverty in Africa.

These are great things to do and brilliant examples of celebrities behaving well, using their status to try and make a difference. Cynics will point out, however, that it's easy for celebrities to support a cause. What with masses of money, time to spare, private jets and paid magazine interviews which will undoubtedly follow their latest trip to that Romanian orphanage.
I think that however much effort they want to put in, or whatever other factors motivate them, celebrity support is vital. It's really important that the stars realize that the way they act affects what's seen as acceptable or cool by they people who admire them. If a celebrity is seen to be oblivious to the world around them, then those who respect them for the songs they sing and the clothes they wear, for example, will assume that everything else is unimportant.

People use sports, music and their studies to enrich their lives, and most will have been inspired by someone initially. Perhaps its not only those in the public eye who should be thinking of themselves as celebrities. If everybody were to think that they can be an inspiration for someone else, people would have a better idea of how their own actions affect others and people would take more responsibility for their actions.