Normally, one doesn't necessarily expect to see politics on MTV, in the movies, in a concert venue and certainly not on the arts and entertainment page of the local daily newspaper. For the most part, politics has long been considered a no-no in pop culture, a topic too boring to enthrall the masses. Sure, SNL will always make fun of the candidates, there have always been those musical acts whose overt political agenda is their trademark (Rage Against the Machine, for example), and every once in a while a former president will be memorialized on film. But that's usually about it. Until now, that is.
In this election year, politics has managed to infiltrate the pop culture arena to an unprecedented extent. Be it the evident political tone of the recently aired 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, the phenomenal success of Michael Moore's controversial anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11," or the spreads featuring the Bush and Kerry daughters in magazines Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, the entertainment industry seems to have finally realized that it doesn't exist in a vacuum. The result: politics has become the biggest cross-over sensation since country music overtook pop radio stations in the mid to late-nineties.
Many celebrities have lent their services this election to help create advertisements promoting voter registration and participation. These ads feature hip young actors and are geared primarily at younger voters, aired on stations like MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central. For instance, Comedy Central and Declare Yourself have partnered to produce spots directed by Kevin Smith (whose previous credits include the films "Dogma" and "Mallrats") starring Hollywood personalities such as Ben Affleck, Zach Braff, Ray Romano, Wanda Sykes, Molly Shannon and Amy Phoeler. (To check them out, visit www.declareyourself.com.)
MTV's "Choose or Lose" campaign has employed the likes of pop-sensation Christina Aguilera and the mistress of hip-hop herself, Missy Elliot as its spokeswomen. And finally, who can forget Will Ferrell's hilarious spot for America Coming Together (which can be seen at www.whitehousewest.com)? Rumor has it that Ferrell, who used to play President George W. Bush on Saturday Night Live, actually took the initiative himself to approach the organization, whose mission is to elect Democratic leaders by engaging in the largest voter contact program in history (for more info, check out ACT's website at www.actforvictory.org).
Also worthy of mention is Citizen Change, whose stern motto "Vote or Die!" seems to be emblazoned on the chest of every cool hip-hop artist these days. The non-partisan, non-profit organization was founded by self-proclaimed bad boy P. Diddy "to educate, motivate and empower" young voters and "to make voting hot, sexy and relevant to a generation that hasn't reached full participation in the political process." The organization is endorsed by an eclectic crew including stars from Mary J. Blige to Ellen Degeneres to Jay-Z to Leonardo Dicaprio (www.citizenchange.com).
But perhaps the most impressive show of political participation on the part of popular entertainers can be found in the variety of concert tours that are currently racing across the U.S. in the hopes of affecting political change. One example is the Vote for Change Tour, featuring musical acts such as Pearl Jam, Babyface, Bruce Springsteen, the Dixie Chicks, Jurassic 5, Dave Matthews Band and many more. According to the Artist Declaration on the group's Web site (www.moveonpac.org/vfc), "Vote for Change is a loose coalition of musicians brought together by a single idea -- the need to make a change in the direction of our country. We share a belief that this is the most important election of our lifetime. We are fighting for a government that is open, rational, just and progressive."
In order to achieve this goal, the Vote for Change tour (presented by MoveOn PAC and benefiting the aforementioned America Coming Together) will play approximately 40 shows in 30 cities located in so-called "swing states," including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri, Michigan and Arizona. Similar tours are underway featuring artists such as female rocker Ani DiFranco and punk groups Flogging Molly and Strike Anywhere.
Russell Simmons has taken a slightly different approach with his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. This non-profit, non-partisan group holds free "summits" where young fans can register to vote and see artists such as Dr. Dre, Beyonce, LL Cool J and Eminem, along with local political and community leaders, speak about youth political involvement (www.HSAN.org).
For those who think all of this political pop culture is geared toward the left, you're probably right (no pun intended). Most of these efforts have been organized by young voters and are aimed at young voters, one of the most influential and yet least participant sectors of the American electorate, and younger voters tend to be more left-leaning. However, President Bush has received plugs from popular artists Jessica Simpson, Toby Keith, Alice Cooper, Britney Spears and KISS frontman Gene Simmons, and many of these efforts are non-partisan in nature, encouraging citizens to get out and vote rather than pushing a particular candidate.
What is clear from all the hullabaloo is that members of the entertainment community consider this an incredibly important election, so much so that they are finally willing to commit their power and resources toward affecting its outcome. Whether or not this trend will remain in the years to come is about as easy to predict as the winner of this election. But, at least in my opinion, it's kind of nice to see celebrities hawking civic duty instead of cell phones and hair dye.
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