There are many people who believe that celebrities only think about themselves and that they aren’t concerned with anyone else’s problems. To me a Hero is some one that you can look to and who inspirers you to be a better person. A celebrity is someone who gets paid a lot of money to pretend to be a hero. There are many problems that face America today such as hunger, poverty and most importantly War. Contrary to popular belief there are several celebrities who are concerned and that donate millions of dollars to charities and there are some who run their own charities. They include multimillionaire Bill Gates, talk-show host Rosie O’Donnell and Louis Armstrong.
“Bill Gates- created charity donates million to fight hepatitis”, is the headline of Hepatitis Weekly magazine. Multimillionaire Bill Gates donated 37.5 million dollars to help treat Hepatitis B in China, where two-thirds of the population is infected with this lethal disease. The money will be used in buying vaccines to immunize newborn children in poor areas. Approximately 400,000 people in China die from liver Cancer and other ailments caused by the disease (Bill 1).
Talk show host Rosie O’Donnell gets 1,000 dollars donated to her charity for every time a guest on her show gives her a kiss. The money is donated from Listerine Mouthwash; they ended up contributing 500,000 dollars to her All For Kids foundation. 200 computers and 50,000 dollars were donated to the Toys for Tots foundation from the chief executive officer of Leap Frog, which is a company that produces computerized toys that teach children math, science and spelling. After September 11, she donated 1 million dollars to the American Red Cross, another million to a fund that benefits the families of firefighters who were killed in the tragedy (Domenica 3).
His late wife founded the Louis Armstrong Foundation in 1969. The program is designed to help with fostering programs, workshops and lectures on music history. It also helps in funding and supports the Louis Armstrong schools in Queens for musical education, jazz workshops and the school libraries (Louis 3).
In conclusion, although there are some celebrities who are selfish and don’t care about others, there are some who do. The ones that do, give as much as the can to help others make their lives better.
Generally when you think of a hero, who do you envision? Most likely, you picture a strong and imposeing figure, someone capable of performing in high pressure situations, demonstrating bravery and passion to help his/her fellow man. Those who typically fit that role in society are firefighters, policemen, and soldiers. Those people deserve all the credit and recognition they receive for their courageous acts. However, what about individuals or groups who aren’t necessarily on the “frontlines” physically protecting others and saving lives, but who work extremely hard to improve the lives of others in some way? These everyday people deserve credit as well. After all, to the people they help, these volunteers or activists are heroes. An example of such a group is the Greensboro Four, a few African American college students in the early 1960s who helped change the landscape of segregation in the Jim Crow South.
When Armstrong was eleven years old he was sent to an all boys camp called “Colored Waif’s Home for Boys.” While he was there, he found a passion for music and fell in love with it, especially the cornet. Joe “King” Oliver, one of the best cornet players, began to mentor Louis in music. In 1918, Louis married a girl named Daisy Parker who
There are many celebrities who support and promote causes and charities to create awareness about peace, humanitarian causes, poverty, and illness in the world. Does celebrity activism really have the intention to help others or do celebrities get involved in it because they want to enhance their reputation? Although some celebrity activists do not have a good reputation because of their bad behavior, they contribute to society by giving donations or by supporting good causes. Celebrity activism matters because celebrities are powerful tools who raise awareness of good causes. Celebrities have the power to attract people’s attention, for instance, their fans, to influence them to support the important causes.
The media is one of the most powerful tools in people’s lives, since it’s used by many as the medium for the delivery of useful information to diverse audience. Over the past few years, the media landscape has undergone noteworthy developments. Prized information about various cultural groups is often relayed through appropriate media, and it’s interesting to note that blogs are currently being utilized as the best medium for celebrity gossip. Celebrity blogs are usually thronged with readers, who would like to know more about their favorite superstars. The entries of different celebrity gossip blogs are often accompanied by paparazzi photos that are usually meant to trigger a stream of comments based on the readers’ observations, enthusiasm and criticisms.
Throughout the course of history there has been many remarkable people that have created an impact on the world. But what is hero? Robert F. Kennedy once said, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or lots of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a ripple of hope.” Meaning a true hero is someone who can stand up for an idea, or can help eliminate the unfair treatment in which the rights of a person are ignored; and everytime gives people the faith that everything is going to be okay after all. John Lennon is a good example of a hero based on Robert F. Kennedy's description of a hero. John lennon is a hero because he peacefully fought against war through his fame and music, promoting peace and inspiring many people.
The Celebrity as a Commodity Hurst introduced the idea of a commodity in the text. By definition, a commodity is something that is of use, advantage, or value. More directly, Hurst showed how people by use of their skills, looks, or names, could be used as advantages in society. He uses the examples of celebrities, sports figures, and beautiful people to show that people can be commodities. All of these groups bring some sort of recognition or attraction that is beneficial to a company, firm, or individual.
Lofton, Kathryn, and Brenda R. Weber. "The Legacies of Oprah Winfrey: Celebrity, Activism and Reform in the Twenty-first Century." Celebrity Studies 3.1 (2012): 104-105. Print.
I know it would be plausible for me to be both a celebrity, then a hero, but I do not wish to receive the amount of attention celebrities get from the public. It is more simple to just be a private hero since people don’t constantly judge and question my actions and decisions. Moreover, this is why whenever I donate to a cause online, I always choose to remain anonymous since I believe I am making the donation to the cause, and not for myself. By this I mean, I don't care if others don’t know how much I donated or if I even donated in the first place. I find that in this world, most people will only donate to charities or feed the poor if they are able to post it on their social media feed to try and show off how generous and charitable they are. Whenever I witness something like this, it really ticks me off since while it is an admirable thing that they are donating and aiding the poor, their motive behind it is very deceiving and it just doesn’t sit well with me. Lastly, I expect that this ties into the field of work I am going into in the future. Right now, I am studying to become a doctor right now, and I presume it is more prudent to go into this field with the notion of being a hero rather than being a celebrity. This is mainly because, as previously mentioned, people who want to be celebrities may often do things of questionable moral character for money or fame, and this may affect their patients negatively. Meanwhile, heroes will presumably do what is right both morally and for the patient, which will lead to a long and healthy career in the medical field. This is why, if I had to choose between being a hero or a celebrity, I would choose the
Modern society has made a sub-culture that lives in a reality that is not real. It is so far from the truth that the inhabitants of this sub-culture so often cannot live in both realities and have become a spectacle for others to marvel at. This sub-culture is made up of entertainers, millionaires, and athletes. The people in this group can range from newborns to death and some live on well after. The specimens that I find an interest in are the young ones that enter into this society not knowing well that their lives will never be the same. Britney Spears was just another victim of the society that brings into their prison.
Bill Gates is now helping people in developing countries get water and an education full time. He created what is called the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “In 2008 he left the company to devote himself full-time to his charity the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”(Harris 1). He has worked his whole life to get the success and money that he has today and instead of keeping it to himself he has given it back to society in many generous ways. He also is helping developing countries with their needs that aren't accessible to them. “They helped vaccinate African and Asian children against diseases like polio and malaria. And they have been very successful in helping get rid of these diseases for good.”(Harris 1). This foundation helped poorer countries get the medical help they need to get rid of illnesses that should have already been gone by now. Bill and his wife had had an impact on the world by doing these things
I would walk into my local Shoppers Drug Mart to pick up some items. As soon as I stand in line to cash my items, low and behold I would see rows and rows of glossy magazines and they would have captions like “ Kate Middleton under attack by the royal family.” or “ Why did Jennifer and Ben Affleck break up.” I could hear the magazine whispering in my ears saying, “Raquel, come read me. You know you want to.”
Have you seen the pictures of Madonna and her baby yet? Have you ever surfed the web and stumbled onto a site about celebrities? Probably so. There are thousands of sites on the web about celebrities; their official web sites, pictorials and biographical information. You can’t even go into a supermarket without being bombarded by tabloids.You can’t listen to the radio in the car. TV shows and whole networks rely on entertainment and celebrities in the news. VH1, MTV and E! are excellent examples of this. Many people make their living off celebrities and their personal lives. But why does this need to be explored? Producers and journalists say they are only making and reporting on what the people want. The general public say they only watch and read this “news” because it is so readily available. Lets face it, it would be easier to find matches for “Madonna and her baby “ on the web than it would be to find “biological engineering”.
Different people hold different views about whether celebrities deserve the money they obtained. Most people just see the performers’ perfect shows on the stage, or the musicians’ excellent performances in the concert hall; however they did not see the hard works that celebrities need to do behind the stage and spotlights. The people who do not know how hard that they prepare for a show, a TV show, a movie or a concert, think all celebrities do not deserve the incomes that they get and earn money easily and highly, but they use their efforts to get money as normal people. As the old saying states, “no gain without pain.” The famous and professional celebrities who have high reputations may need to stay up late to practice his performance again and again before going on the stage. People always believe a person’s efforts determines the applause that he deserves. All the efforts
Several celebrities like actors, musicians, athletes or comedians establish plenty of positive self-images which can motivate or inspire many young people. Plenty of celebrities’ names have been used for encouraging voting, raising funds for victims from natural disaster and creating a charity, or many campaigns like anti-violence or anti-AIDS. There are many celebrities who give back to society. The positive side of celebrities can inspire people. People may do some charity for giving back, do well at school and avoid many troubles (Muhammad). Many of them turn their fame to work for various organizations that help people such as Angelina Jolie became a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador; she helped many refugees around the world. Moreover, she and her husband, Brad Pitt, have created the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which aims to focus on the poverty and provides elementary and secondary education also protect natural resources and wildlife (Celebrities Using Their Fame to Do Good). Additionally, Shakira, a famous singer, has founded the organization “Pies Descalzos Foundation” that provides the education for people in Colombia, South Africa and Haiti (Celebrities Using Their Fame to Do Good). And many celebrities turn their bad experiences to inspire many people. For examples, Martar Steward, who had been in jail for five months, becomes a woman giving a good lesson from her failure and success that can
The democratic government in place in the United States of America allows all Americans to have their say in what occurs in this country. Through the power of the vote, Americans can decide who they want to represent them in every level of the government. Getting elected, however, is not as easy as it sounds. It would reasonable to assume that a candidate would be elected to their position if they are more qualified than their opponents. This however is becoming less and less true. Nowadays, instead of always voting for the person who is the best at handling their prospective job, people are voting for candidates who handle themselves the best during the campaign. The candidate who is the most charismatic, funny, and outgoing is usually the person who is going to get elected. This is becoming particularly true in the case of many celebrities who have entered the field of politics. Although these people, who have gained fame in another field, are not as qualified for the job as others in the election, they find themselves capturing the majority of the vote anyway.