I don’t think I’ll ever get away from it. The only way to escape it would to be to escape. I’d have to go away from civilization (so called) and live off the grid in the mountains of Sanpete. I’d have to become a modern-day version of “Jerimiah Johnson.” (Look it up. A Robert Redford movie from 1972)

Some time ago, the Deseret News editorial board published a piece that struck a chord with me. The final two sentences of the editorial were these: “Many Americans put far too much weight on celebrity. They cannot afford to confuse that with political leadership in a world that demands the best and brightest public servants.”

It’s not that I hate celebrities. I am, in fact, a fan of many of them in sports and entertainment. I willingly pay money to see and support some of these people.

The thing I have a hard time with is that many people somehow believe that a celebrity’s opinion is more valid than anyone else’s opinion. By reason of being a talented actor or musician, and making an obscene amount of money, these people apparently can be regarded by many as experts on foreign policy or agricultural issues.

Sometimes celebrities have been mentioned as possibilities for runs at the presidency. The names of Oprah, Tom Hanks, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Kanye West have been floated at times.

I remember when Ronald Reagan was running for president. We were on a trip in Europe. I recall very well having a conversation with an English woman on a train. I was a bit offended. She thought it was laughable that America was possibly going to be electing a movie star as president. I could see her point, but it didn’t seem to matter much to her that he had been the governor of California.

It’s not that celebrities don’t have the right to have opinions and the right to get involved in the political system. My discomfort revolves around why do we, the “common folk,” tend to believe that they are more knowledgeable and are better trained in matters of politics than those who have experience, education and training?

Some late nights I’ll watch TV and switch channels around, watching parts of the talk shows hosted by Kimmel, Fallon and Colbert. I sometimes find myself wishing that they’d just pull someone out of the audience and interview a “common person” instead of the celebrity with whom they are talking.

I’d be just as entertained and interested in their life and opinions on issues as the celebrity sitting in the interview chair. (I have to admit though, it’s probably more interesting to look at the celebrities than the regular audience member.)

The worst thing is that those talk show hosts have long since decided that they themselves want to use their celebrity status and platform to advance their political views. A large proportion of the humor is now political.

It’s true. The jokes in the opening monologues can sometimes be funny. But those jokes are mostly centered around political figures and issues crafted in an advancement of the views and agenda of the host or producers of the show. It’s not as generic anymore as it was in the old days of late night talk shows.

When I tune into an “entertainment show,” I want entertainment. When I go to a basketball game, I want basketball. When I go to a music concert, I want music.

Back a few years ago, when Rocky Anderson was the mayor of Salt Lake City, we went to a Crosby, Stills and Nash concert in Salt Lake. Those “old boys” could still put on a pretty darn good musical show. What left me disappointed about the night was that they couldn’t seem to stop talking about political stuff in between their songs. It got very annoying.

Well, this has turned into more of a rant than I intended. Sorry. I have to remember that we all have our own perspectives on issues. We are all individuals and enjoy the freedom to speak our minds and spend our money the way we choose in support of anyone or whatever cause motivates us.

I just hope that we think twice when we consider who it is when we’re letting someone’s opinion sway our own opinion. There are many people in Sanpete who have common sense that isn’t common with a lot of people who may have reporters and photographers following them around because they’re celebrities. — Merrill