Celebrity Endorsements: 2020 Election Edition

Celebrity Endorsements: 2020 Election Edition

By Christy Kim

With the elections fast approaching in less than 24 hours, it is the proper time to reflect on the way this particular election has impacted the generations, both old and young. The specific realm of influence that celebrities hold in shaping public opinion. They are important in younger demographics. Each well-known figure has endorsed his/her pick for the 2020 election is worth mentioning.

On the Democratic side, there are a lot more public celebrity endorsements, as the inclusion of LBTQ+ rights, BLM, and pro-choice are hot button topics of concern.

The cast of the famous Marvel franchise, The Avengers, such as Chris Evans, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, and Zoe Saldana helped host a fundraiser for the Biden & Harris Campaign. It was appropriately titled, “Voters Assemble! The Cast of the Avengers united for Democracy.”

Selena Gomez, a famous Disney star actress and singer/songwriter, endorsed Senator Kamala Harris on her Instagram live. The two addressed the importance of voting blue, otherwise known as the color of the Democratic party, to support people who struggle with mental health issues.

There are several celebrities who took to social media to make their personal political opinions known to the public. There was Beyonce, who shared an Instagram boomerang wearing a Biden and Harris face mask. She encouraged Texan voters to go to the polls and make their opinions known.

Harry Styles, a former famous boy band member and singer/songwriter, took to Twitter to quote a Joe Biden campaign video captioning it, “If I could vote in America, I’d vote with kindness.” This strongly portrayed his personal opinions on the 2020 election.

Mariah Carey, another well known music artist, also took to Instagram to post a video of her “I voted” sticker. She wanted to encourage her fan base to vote and make young voices known in this crucial election.

Celebrity Endorsements in the Presidential Election

GOP endorsements

On the Republican side, there have not been quite as many public endorsements in favor of President Trump, but there have been some notable ones.

Lil Pump, or the infamous “Gucci Gang” rapper, was present at a Trump rally. He was donning a Make America Great Again hat. Stephen Baldwin, brother to famous actor Alec Baldwin, tweeted out his support for Trump. The “gospel is truth battle already won #Trump2020.”

Dennis Quaid, another well known Hollywood actor, publicly praised Trump’s effort of “getting the American people what they need” in an interview that he gave to The Daily Beast this past April.

Through the means of social media, entertainment broadcasts, and news outlets, the entertainment world has made its voice heard among the masses. The young voters of America have seen the impacts of their favorite actresses, actors, and singer-songwriters cast their ballots. Now, it is their turn to make an impact this 2020 Presidential Election.

In a few short hours, it will be known how successful the broad entertainment industry has been in influencing the average American voter. The 2020 election might turn out to be an important milestone for entertainers reshaping public policy and the political climate.

The expansive influence of social media and the influencers it contains, both in the entertainment industry and beyond, will play a key role tomorrow. For the young readers out there, stay involved and stay updated.

The future is happening; it is now.

Homeschooler in the Real World

Emma Folts, a sophomore at Wheaton College, shares her experience about her transition into college and how homeschool has both helped and hindered her.
How has your homeschool experience benefitted you, especially in your transition into college?
I think the one thing that homeschooling did that was really helpful as I entered college was that it taught me time management. As a homeschooler I had the same freedom as a college student has to put things off during the day and go see a friend instead. Since I had that experience, I knew the cost of that.
Also, personal responsibility and accountability with assignments. I feel like a lot of the other students had more expectations for gentler grading and that the professor would give them retakes or extensions, but that wasn’t something that ever happened to me in school. That learning curve wasn’t added because I never had it the other way. I think another thing was that because I was homeschooled, I was familiar with the format of teaching and then studying on my own.
Did you see any issues with your transition socially?
I think that homeschooling had two ramifications for me socially. One was helpful, one was hurtful.
It was really helpful because as a homeschooler, I had spent a lot of time realizing and developing who I was as a person and learning to recognize people who were being themselves, and those were the people I sought out as friends. Friendship as a homeschooler takes a lot more investment. I knew I was choosier with my friends which made me a lot less anxious and a lot more content.
The only real negative impact of the social bit was that I was really used to getting to choose the time I got to spend with people. As a homeschooler I spent a lot of time with people, but that time was controlled by me. As a college student, I found that you can’t really control the time you spend with people and alone time is not really available. Learning to deal with that was a lot harder than anticipated.
Any last comments on homeschool and how it has affected your college experience?
I think homeschooling is really helpful, however it does take a slightly increased amount of advocacy with your peers when you’re entering into college. I think a lot of people come in with certain assumptions about homeschool, especially students. You’re going to get a lot of, ‘oh my gosh, you don’t seem like a homeschooled person!’ [You can’t] take that too personally and explain your experience so that friends can understand it’s an important piece of you, though it might not look like the homeschooling that they’ve seen.
My encouragement to anyone who is a homeschooler transitioning into college is to realize the benefit that you have having been homeschooled, and to realize that the bit of advocacy and explaining that you need to do with your peers is totally normal and that it’s not a big deal. Once they understand your experience, it’s not something I’ve experienced being looked down on for.