Whether wearing an outfit covered in lace, or a dress with meat on it, Lady Gaga attracts a lot of attention. With a wide fan base and amazing publicity, Lady Gaga manages to stay in the spotlight with her music and performances. However, she is also the topic of a lot of controversy. Recently, she has decided to go all out in her efforts to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. As we all know, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. A hugely controversial topic, Lady Gaga claims that gays and lesbians are not being treated fairly and urges her "lil monsters" to lend their support. On Tuesday, she urged them to call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to schedule the vote. Although this was successful, many Republicans lead by Senator John McCain threaten to filibuster the "don't ask don't tell" repeal which is included in a Defense Department budget bill. On Friday morning, she created a video, to which I have linked to above, in which she urges her followers to call their senators and support the repeal of this policy. In the video, she singles out Senators John McCain, Mitch McConnel, James Inhofe, and Jeff Sessions urging the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
Although many people despise Lady Gaga and her attention-seeking ways, I am impressed with her efforts to repeal this policy. I think that she is smart to take advantage of her millions of fans and channel them towards something she believes in. Gay rights advocates have been trying for years with protests, demonstrations, etc to promote equality and have not been able to make a huge amount of impact. However, because Lady Gaga already has the publicity, her voice is definitely heard.
On the other hand, many people believe that this is just not her place. How does she expect to be taken seriously as she traipses around in her underwear? She does not have enough knowledge regarding this controversy to be able to make a convincing argument.
Lady Gaga is definitely an interesting character, but regarding this policy, her motives seem sincere. She actually took a group of homosexual soldiers who had been discharged from the military to the MTV video music awards as her guests. I respect her efforts, although slightly unconventional, and hope that they make a difference in the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
6 comments:
I found it quite interesting to see that Lady Gaga is making a political statement. As Courtney mentions "Lad Gaga attracts a lot of attention,"; however, I did not expect her to address the nation in regards to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. As well as Courtney, I am impressed that she demonstrates "efforts to repeal this policy." Usually, I am distrustful of celebrities who get involved in politics: they are usually not as well-versed on politics as other individuals. However, Lady Gaga's arguments do not demonstrate the ignorance many celebrities have when it comes to such controversial topics.
Lady Gaga does have a huge following, and her views can easily affect those of her supporters. What I wonder now is whether or not this could hurt her reputation as a celebrity or discourage many individuals from following her because of their different values. Furthermore, the fact that a celebrity is making a statement is most likely futile in convincing senators such as John McCain to vote to repeal the act or ignore the potential filibuster. Many Republicans such as McCain refuse to change their mindset in such cases - especially this policy, which is a rather conservative one. Is it any more likely that Lady Gaga will make a difference? Unfortunately, I think not. Regardless, it is good to see that she is taking the initiative like any other American should to support a cause.
I am pleased to see Lady Gaga using her fame to help a good cause. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy is ridiculous and outrageous. At this point in time, America should be more accepting and let people serve proudly for their country. This, to me, is a pointless law to have. Why not let these people choose to serve their country? It is, after all, their choice. I appreciate Lady Gaga's effort but I am unsure as to whether or not she'll make a big enough difference. She is, however, drawing a large amount of attention because she has the biggest fan base out there. Hopefully she will help get the policy repealed.
I think that Lady Gaga should be taken seriously because her job shouldn't get in her way of trying to promote a cause. Like Conor, I believe that her opinions should be expressed and considered by the public if they are sincere. As for her fans, they probably will support her unless they are for this policy. She may lose supporters who are for the policy. But if I were a supporter of Lady Gaga, I would wait to see how informed she is on this issue in politics before I start supporting a her cause because it is somewhat odd for a music artist to get involved in politics. I do feel like this action is a bit out of place for her until she can elaborate more on her position.
Lady Gaga's use of her fame in order to expound her political ideals upon her fans is completely uncalled for, and should not be taken seriously in any regard. In fact, she is manipulating her fans into following political ideals that they may not truly believe in, or may not care about. It could very well be that they regard Lady Gaga as a goddess, and simply bash "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" for politically-unrelated reasons.
No matter what one's stance on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", he or she cannot possibly advocate such a reprehensible practice by this "musical goddess." (emphasis on the quotation marks)
It's Daniel's turn:
To add on to Ryan's excellent points, Lady Gaga's move is a classic example of the formation of a political faciton, one organized under a leader who controls the ideals of her followers.
This is something the father of our country, George Washington explicity tried to prevent in his farewell speech.
We must maintain our individuality, especially in our current times where group psychology has grown dominant.
I tend to disagree with Dan...Lady Gaga is not forming a political faction. There is not going to be a third party called the "gagacins" or "gagacrats" who work towards repealing the law. Furthermore, I believe that George Washington also believed in free speech and the right to have an opinion (he could not possibly have imagined people like Lady Gaga would emerge in the future though...but even so, would he bash her attempt to make a political statement?).
Lastly, I feel as though some of the comments attack Lady Gaga rather than her beliefs and stance...please enlighten me on why you think Lady Gaga's arguments are flawed and why her opinion is a supposed threat to our "individuality."
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