Occupy Wall Street: Value of celebrity

The New York Occupy Wall Street protests have already attracted the attention of celebrities such as Penn Badgley, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon and Michael Moore. As of today, add Kanye West’s name to the list.

Activist and hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons tweeted Monday afternoon that he “walked @kanyewest thru the #occupywallstreet. I love how sweet and tolerant he was to the crowd.”

Photos shared via Simmons’s Twitter account confirm that West was there. Unfortunately, it appears he didn’t spontaneously perform “Power” or do anything else to invigorate the crowd using the magic of rap. According to DNAinfo.com, he observed the proceedings while walking with an escort through the masses of protesters, one of whom shouted, “There are no celebrities, just people.”

Simmons responded to the anti-rich-and-famous argument with a tweet that said, “His presence matters. #occupywallstreet. ‘Celebrity [sic] have no real value except to use it to help others.’”

Do you agree with that statement about the value of celebrity? Or is a protest that addresses the skewed distribution of wealth in this country the sort of place where movie, rock and rap stars don’t belong? Post a comment and share your opinion, even if that opinion merely involves a request that West do “Gold Digger” next time he drops by Occupy Wall Street.

I think there is genuine anger at the gulf between rich and poor, even in the USA.
Rich bankers, financial suits etc. caused the crisis and their buddies rich politicians just lie back and soak up the cash.
This imbalance has in the past been the cause of revolutions. Could it happen in the USA too or will the haves let just enough money trickle down to the poor to take the sting out of it ? We shall see.
It's probably got beyond dishing out more "American Dream " and patriotism this time.

If I was eating out of garbage bins I would really NOT want some fluffy pop/rock star using the protest for their own benefit. Could give them some free publicity by chaining them naked to the railings until they paid a ransom !! How about it ?