Celebritocracy: The Misguided Agenda of Celebrity Politics in a Postmodern Democracy

by Cooper Lawrence PhD

Overview

Here’s the truth behind the celebrity causes you thought you knew.

Celebritocracy delves into celebrity activism while tearing apart most of the highly publicized charitable and activist efforts of your favorite celebrities. Why did George Clooney back off of Darfur? How did Oprah’s attempt to help Katrina victims go terribly wrong? While Kim Kardashian has done great things for criminal justice reform, did her activism on behalf of Armenian genocide set the cause back decades? And did you know that the famed Dodd-Frank Act has a small bit of pork barrel politics wedged into it—urged on by actress Robin Wright—that put thousands of lives in jeopardy in the DRC?

Celebritocracy exposes nonfictional accounts of the many instances when celebrity activism ended up causing more harm than good.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642936049
Publisher:	Post Hill Press
Publication date:	07/28/2020
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Cooper Lawrence is a Gracie Award–winning radio personality. She has been heard in New York on WOR, Z100, PLJ, KTU, Q104, and WBLI. Cooper was the therapist on VH1’s Confessions of a Teen Idol, an original cast member on Fox’s Dish Nation, and the relationship expert on The Tyra Show. She is the author of six books including two bestsellers, The Cult of Celebrity (Skirt!) and Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry (Polka Dot Press). She has a PhD from Fordham University.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Chapter 1 When the Best of Intentions Go Horribly Wrong 1

Live Aid: The Disaster Relief That Was Itself a Disaster 7

Chapter 2 How Celebrities Made a Natural Disaster Worse 13

Money Pitt 14

When Oprah Met Katrina 16

You Get a House! 19

I'll Be There for You 22

Chapter 3 The Rise of Conservatism and the Fall of Empathy 24

Liberal Politics Is Built on Empathy, Conservative Politics Is Built on Logic 27

Conservatives in Hollywood: Who Are They? 30

Some That Will Surprise You 32

Conservatives Hiding in Plain Sight 35

Chapter 4 When Celebrities Fail, Do Their Causes and Products Follow? 40

Lance Armstrong 45

Bill Cosby 48

Britney Spears 51

Chapter 5 Why We Treat Celebrities as Experts 54

The Celebrity Pseudo-Expert 56

Tom Cruise and Psychiatry 59

Katy Perry 62

Gwyneth Paltrow 63

So…Why Do We Think Celebrities Are Experts? 67

Chapter 6 The Loudest Tweets 69

Paid to Post 72

Celebrity Tweeters, Who Are You? 72

Do Celebrities Influence Us on Twitter or Not? 76

Decision Dominators vs. Logic Annihilators 79

Chapter 7 The Celebrity Politician 83

The Celebrity Senators, Governors, Mayors, and Presidents 83

Why Republican Celebrities Are Better at Getting Votes 86

A Face for Television 90

Chapter 8 How Celebrities Are Setting the Global Humanitarian Agenda 94

How Robin Wright Was Wrong 97

Did Sting Ever Save the Rainforest? 101

Why Celebrity Activism Rarely Changes the World 104

Chapter 9 The Education of Kim Kardashian 108

Kim's Multimillion-Dollar Business Is Now Her Advocacy 113

Kim Kardashian Goes to Washington…Again 116

Second Chance Hiring and Reentry Event 118

Kanye West, His MAGA Hat, and Star Wars 119

Her Ever-Changing Views 122

The Science of Kim Kardashian 124

Conclusion 126

About the Author 132