The Orbis

Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Issues

Actress Mia Farrow wrote a letter that ultimately encouraged the government of China to interfere in Sudan. Her fame puts her in a unique position to speak out.

"A sign of celebrity is that his name is often worth more than his services," said historian Daniel Boorstin. One of the few times this quip could be proven wrong is when a celebrity lends his or her name to a worthy service by supporting a cause that might otherwise remain under the radar. Celebrities who support causes put themselves in the public eye for both criticism and praise. While there are certainly pitfalls to having a celebrity endorse a given issue, some causes desperately need a well-known and respected face to call attention to them and promote their agendas.

Celebrities may sometimes be fairly accused of being self-righteous or even hypocritical when supporting causes, but that doesn't mean all are not genuinely devoted to their causes. Take, for example, Laurie David, wife of Larry David (star of the HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), who has done a tremendous amount of work to bring the issue of global warming to the general public. Her husband drives a hybrid car in real life and in his show, and Laurie has organized everything from TV features to virtual marches speaking out about global warming. According to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., "she's opened up new corridors of power to the environmental movement"-not bad for a celebrity. While there are plenty of celebrities who might preach conservation but continue to live wasteful, lavish lifestyles, people such as the Davids are still effective spokespeople for environmentalism.

Actress Mia Farrow's recent letter in the Wall Street Journal was a call to action for filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who is an artistic adviser to China for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Farrow warned that Spielberg's support of the government would also be an unspoken support of the government's close financial ties with the Sudanese government that has committed genocide against their own people in the Darfur region. Spielberg immediately took this to heart and wrote a letter to the president of China asking the government to do what they could "to bring an end to the human suffering [in Sudan]." Shortly thereafter, a high-ranking Chinese government official visited Darfur and encouraged the Sudanese government to cooperate with United Nations peacekeepers in the region. While there are still many steps to be taken before Farrow's letter can be deemed a complete success story, her voice undoubtedly sparked a chain of events that could bring about necessary changes in the relationships between Sudan and its silent supporters. An ordinary person could have easily written the same letter, but Farrow's fame helped garner the attention needed for people to take notice of the issue.

An informed public is key to inciting change. And an informed public is the result of citizens devoting themselves to raising awareness of these issues. Celebrities who choose to be worthwhile examples rather than recipients of pointless publicity should be given credit as valid spokespeople for their causes. Critics and cynics should judge the worthiness of the cause rather than the personal faults and failings of it supporters.

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