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Culture,Socialization,andPolicy
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areaofthecity.Whileinofceforonlyashorttime,hewasabletopassagayrights
ordinancebeforebeingmurderedbyafellowSupervisor.
DuringPenn,sramblingthreeminuteacceptancespeech,hecondemnedthesup-
portersofProposition8:
(…)Forthosewhosawthesignsofhatredasourcarsdroveintonight,Ithinkthatitisagood
timeforthosewhovotedforthebanagainstgaymarriagetositandreflect,andanticipatetheir
greatshame,andtheshameintheirgrandchildren,seyesiftheycontinuethatwayofsupport.
We,vegottohaveequalrightsforeveryone(…).
Healsoengagedinalittlehumoratthebeginningofthespeech,callingthevotingmem-
bersoftheacademy“commiehomolovingsonsofguns”twice,andalittlebitofself-
indulgenceaswell,recognizinghowdifculthemakesitattimesforpeopletoappreciate
him.HealsoreferredtoPresidentObamaasan“elegantman,”whichhadaconservative
(orJoeBiden!)said,wouldlikelyhaveelicitedagreatdealofcontroversy.
Ourbasicquestioniswhetherseeingsuchaspeechinfluencesthebeliefsofview-
ers.Specifichypotheseswillbediscussedlateraswillourexperiment,sdesign.First
wemustdiscusstherecentliteraturedemonstratingthesignificantpoliticalinfluence
ofpopularculture.Overthepastdecadetherehasbeenaburgeoningofresearchinto
theimpactofthepoliticalcontentoftheentertainmentmedia,sofnews,andstate-
mentsmadebycelebritiesoutsidetheircreativeproductions.Jackson,s2002work
demonstratedanumberofimportantthingsaboutyoungpeople,srelationshipswith
politicallyorientedentertainmentmedia.First,youngpeopledoindeedperceivepoliti-
calcontentinthepopculture,andthinkaboutitinsophisticatedways.Youngwhite,
maleconservativesarethemostlikelytodisapproveofthesociopoliticalcontentof
theentertainmentmedia.
Intermsofsofnews,muchattentionhasfocusedontheprogrammingofthe
ComedyCentralNetwork.BaumgartnerandMorris(2004)showthatyoungpeople
exposedtotheDailyShow,sjokesaboutJohnKerryandGeorgeW
.Bushreported
lowerevaluationsofthoseindividuals.Viewers,however,alsobelievedmorestrongly
intheirownabilitiestounderstandthepoliticalrealm.
Onewaytothinkaboutcelebrities,endorsementofideasistocomparethoseto
ndingswithregardtotheirendorsementsofproducts.
Celebrityendorsementtheory
Whilelittleresearchhasbeendoneontheimpactofcelebritiesinpolitics,much
researchhasbeendonebymarketingscholarsontheimpactofcelebrityendorsements
ofproducts.Whatthesescholarshavelearnedmaybeappliedtothestudyoftheimpact
ofcelebrityendorsementinthepoliticalrealm.
First,thebroaduseofcelebrityendorsersbycompaniesindicatescorporateAmerica
believesthatcelebrityendorsementsoftheirproductsworktosellmoreoftheirmer-
chandise,andthereisevidencetosuggesttheyarecorrect.AgrawalandKamakura
(1995)studiedtheimpactoftheannouncementof110celebrity-endorsementcontracts