As our nation stands at the threshold of another presidential election, we face the significant responsibility of selecting the candidate who is best fit to lead our country. To help the selection process, most of us (hopefully) pay a little more attention to the world of politics than we usually do during non-election years. And it’s difficult not to pay attention. During an election year, politics saturates the media. Politicians, especially presidential candidates, gain a sort of celebrity status and the world of politics merges with the world of entertainment commercialism.
Meme-making becomes a hobby, Saturday Night Live (SNL) sketches grow increasingly political and social media turns into the main outlet for political grievances, encouragements and promotions. As concerned citizens, we attend to the media. We watch debates. We read articles, editorials and angry Facebook posts. We engage in impassioned discussions — sometimes without even meaning to do so — with friends, families and enemies.
And as the years roll on, it seems even more evident that politics has evolved into a form of popular culture. We mix business and pleasure. While that notion might seem daunting or inappropriate, it’s true — and it’s not something that we should fear.
America’s obsession with popular culture is undeniable, but it’s not shameful, though the older generations and hipsters might disagree. The political world and the pop world do not need to be mutually exclusive in order for either to be functioning cogs in the American machine. I believe that the gradual yet substantial interaction of these two worlds is indeed advantageous.
Our nation possesses the undeniable skill of not only creating fame but also maintaining a “mainstream” — a collection of what people are talking about in the here and now. If something captures the nation’s attention, it goes viral. The mainstream is only maintained by the people’s attention — if nobody cares, the mainstream spits it out.
This all-encompassing compilation of knowledge — non-discriminatory towards the subjects it swallows up and digests — stands as a major political asset. America needs people to care about politics, to care about government and its operations, because the investment that we give to pop culture can be the engagement we give to politics.
Humans possess the powerful ability to empathize, and thanks to that, the limits of an individual’s capacity to care can be immense. Through the power of popular culture, a person can care about someone without ever meeting him or her (i.e. a celebrity) and care about issues that aren’t in one’s immediate control. This drive to care is not something from which America should shy away — it’s quite a great quality to instill in a citizenry and something we should encourage.
We should therefore always make sure that we invest the same energy and interest into America’s political culture as we do popular culture. In some ways, Americans have already done this. As mentioned previously, the two worlds now interact in a rather regular manner — the relationship between the two has gradually grown stronger, as evidenced by the amount of politics we see in media and in daily life, especially with the advent of social media that makes political opinion and engagement a neverending stream on your phone. Indeed, the political/popular love affair isn’t a recent marvel but a reality that has been going on for decades, and has only grown.
Social media websites, like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, allow us to follow everyone from politicians to analysts to comedians at the touch of a button — we can keep up with them and the Kardashians at the same time. At political rallies, conventions and other social events, the thought of getting a selfie with one of these leaders is enough to hype up the crowds.
This process of “celebritizing” — if I dare call it that — brings government closer to the American people. Leaders become more accessible to us — they become more human. And while the idea of being human and being a politician might render some clever jokes, it’s an idea that deserves to be spread. Americans deserve to feel like they actually know their leaders. We live in a century that constantly experiences the power of technology and the power of society and government intertwined.
Should the leaders of our government be treated professionally? Absolutely. Becoming a pop culture icon doesn’t absolve any responsibilities to the republic and its people. The status merely enhances one’s ability to represent, listen to and connect with the people. Embracing politics through popular culture helps Americans care about their relationship to government. And Americans need to care.
Elena Margarella is a College freshman from Tampa, Florida.
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