I’ve been saying it for some time, but Fr. Rob Johansen repeats the advice in discussing Michael J. Fox and the pro-embryonic stem cell ad: Just ignore celebrities. Why anyone listens to celebrities on matters of public policy or morality is beyond me. What makes them experts on anything other than standing before an audience and singing, acting, swatting a ball? Sorry, but that goes for all celebrities, including those on our side of the issues. I’m sure they’re nice people, but unless they show themselves to be particularly well-informed, I’m not sure why I should care what their opinion is.
Frankly, using celebrities to sell a political viewpoint is insulting to me because it shows that the people behind the ad think I’m more concerned with the celebrity’s “star power” than with the actual issue at hand.
Speaking of being ill-informed, Fr. Rob saw on “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos that Fox admitted he hadn’t even read the text of the Missouri cloning initiative he was throwing his support behind. Yet he’s “quite sure that I’ll agree with it in spirit.” Hey McFly, make like a tree and get out of here. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
Also, Fr Rob offered guidance to his parishioners on how to make political decisions, using Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted’s “Catholics in the Public Square” booklet as his jumping off point.
Technorati Tags:celebrity, embryos, Michael J. Fox, Missouri, politics, stem cells
