Celebrity sightings bring aid

Flipping through TV channels, you can’t help but notice the dominance of celebrity coverage in the media. From their latest mishaps to their latest tantrums, the media is obsessed with reporting every aspect of the high life.

But the other day I saw a celebrity on an unlikely channel: CNN. Angelina Jolie was talking about the Pakistani flood victims needing aid and other relief materials.

Celebrities advocating aid for natural disasters is nothing new. Sean Penn and George Clooney both campaigned heavily for Haitian earthquake victims while Scarlett Johansson was involved with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

The cynic in me initially scoffed at celebrity involvement in aid efforts. I assumed that they’re probably just trying to get favorable media coverage for themselves and gain more fans, and that it was all about their image in the public eye.

However, the optimist in me is starting to take over. How am I to know what exactly someone’s motive is in helping out natural disaster victims? Regardless of the reason behind doing such charity work, the fact remains that when celebrities get involved in relief efforts, the disaster itself gains coverage.

More coverage generally means more aid. More aid means a faster recovery for victims.

It’s obvious that fans care about what major projects their favorite stars are working on. Jolie’s current effort in Pakistan is helping spread awareness about the millions devastated by the floods to many who might not be following the news or reading the newspaper. Celebrities introduce global issues to an audience that might not normally be exposed to them.

Celebrities are also idols to many people — and how do people try to become like their idols? They copy them. It might only seem as though people are wearing the same clothes as their favorite superstar or eating at the same restaurant, but fans are just as likely to help out in their idol’s cause or philanthropy of choice.

This could mean a fan donating money to their favorite celebrity’s charity or even being so inspired that he flies down to a disaster area to volunteer.

That charity also spreads to college campuses, where there are many organizations that help aid efforts. Drives to raise money for food, clothes and other basic necessities following natural disasters such as the Haiti earthquake are common on campus. Colleges are natural hotbeds for such activism, so it should be no surprise at the large amount of relief effort shown here.

Opportunities to help out in natural disasters are easy to find on campuses but some people need a little bit of encouragement or inspiration to help out — and that inspiration can sometimes come from a celebrity they greatly admire.

It’s getting to the point where one expects celebrities to be support a cause. With such a large fan base, celebrities should be encouraged to use their broad spectrum of influence for beneficial causes. Their influence will help spread awareness about the world’s problems to new audiences and help bridge the gap between people in different nations.

Let’s hope celebrities continue to turn their large amount of media coverage into something positive.

Angad Singh is a junior majoring in international relations and communication.