In light of the Jay-Z, T.I. show at JPJ Saturday evening, and the political rally those of us in attendance came to be unwittingly subjected to, I feel compelled to submit to the Charlottesville community a simple question: Why do we give entertainers the attention and glory needed to allow them to influence our forms of political self-expression and, as such, our political opinions?
Watching thousands of members of the University community throw the finger up to an image of George W. while Jay-Z free-styled a verse getting the crowd to yell, “F*** Bush” made me, and I hope a large number of the audience, sick. I’m no Bush fan, nor even a Republican, but I have to believe that thousands of years of evolution have led to higher forms of human self-expression than herd-mentality cussing and chanting. I believe in the ability, right and duty of every one of the American people to express their political opinions, but forms of expression based on such base values and ideals as hatred and mere emulation of celebrity entertainers are below us all. We should hold ourselves, not as a University community, but as an American people, to a higher standard of expression and not let our conduct be influenced by the smoke, lights and appeal of our favorite entertainers. I hope this can be seen as food for thought in an election where both sides are utilizing increasingly generic and idealistic statements and catch-phrases to pull in votes, and many citizens seem to be forgetting that good decisions and actions rely as much upon the restraint and rational thoughts of the mind as they do upon the strength and momentum of the heart’s emotions.
Tom Plofchan
CLAS III
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