This essay question was reported on March 21st. Below is the essay question and ideas to help you write about both sides.
Some people think that famous people’s support towards international aids organisations draws attention to problems, while others think that celebrities make the problems less important. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Ideas for and against the involvement of famous people’s involvement in aid work:
Support for famous people’s involvement
- Famous people draw media attention wherever they go which helps to highlight the aid organisation and the problem.
- Charities or causes can be made more popular by celebrity involvement.
- Take Princess Diana as an illustration, she championed the problem of land mines and brought enormous international attention to an otherwise forgotten problem.
- Celebrities are able to bridge the gap between a tragedy that has occurred in a distant place and bring it into people’s sitting rooms, making the problem seem more real and less remote.
- Famous people’s words often have more reach and more global identity. They are able to influence people in different countries and cultures all over the world.
- People are more likely to give donations when they are called to action by their favourite actor or football star. Fans follow the work of their favourite stars and like to get involved in whatever they are doing.
- Famous voices calling people to action have more power and influence than someone the public have never heard of. In other words, a familiar voice is often more trustworthy and more compelling.
Against famous people’s involvement
- More media attention may be given to the famous person’s involvement than the actual aid organisation and can draw attention away from the problem itself.
- Celebrity involvement can make the message shallow coming from a famous star who does not directly work with the charity.
- Using famous people to draw attention to particular global problems helps to promote world inequality which should be avoided.
- If the famous person’s image is damaged in the media for any particular reason, it could have repercussions on the charity and the problem. This means the charity becomes dependent on the famous person maintaining popularity which cannot always be guaranteed.
- Some people may be put off the aid organisations if they do not like that particular famous person.
- People may lose interest in a charity if the famous person stops their involvement.
Please note that these ideas must be adapted so that they connect directly with the issues in the essay question. You should not copy these ideas word for word. Instead you should take these ideas, write them in your own words and apply them to the specific essay question.
