Although less-educated Americans have often been ignored and dismissed, on November 5, 2024, they made their voices resoundingly heard by re-electing Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States. Ironically, a major misstep came from President Joe Biden himself, who, less than two weeks before Election Day, insulted Trump’s voters by calling them “trash.” I have no doubt that this blunder was further exacerbated by the medical condition that affected his entire term.
Another critical error by the Democrats was their tendency to overlook Biden’s symptoms publicly, hoping to protect him. This lack of transparency showed Americans that the president seemed to play a merely symbolic role, and in the end, many wondered if Biden was still the stabilizing force they had once voted for. Countless Democrats ended up punishing this apparent dissimulation with their votes.
However, rather than discussing these political missteps, I want to focus on the intense campaign waged by influencers, Hollywood actors, and famous artists—a campaign that proved almost entirely ineffective.
Perhaps it’s time to give a little more credit to these “functional illiterates” in America than they might outwardly deserve. They seem to understand that receiving lessons from singers, actors, or influencers, separated from them only by a larger bank balance, isn’t necessary. It’s not enough to possess acting talent or a beautiful singing voice to enforce your opinion on voting. For a message to be respected, beyond mere talent, one must be recognized as a powerful voice in social activism, a defender of human rights, a fighter for the vulnerable.
Yet, even a respected voice doesn’t always guarantee influence; aside from being right, the way a message is delivered and its weight matters. If, for four years, you’ve had no opinion, taken no stance to support ordinary people, how can you then preach about the importance of voting? Many of the fortunate elite in Hollywood live in opulence, earning tens and hundreds of millions, but almost none (with rare exceptions) address systemic issues simply because it wouldn’t benefit them. They don’t attack these issues because it would risk lost opportunities.
At the same time, those poor “functional illiterates” not only face the hardships of the system but must also pay for movie or concert tickets, contributing, from their poverty, to the glory of those who now look down on them. Celebrities may have millions of followers and earn hundreds of millions, but in the end, they are powerless. Paradoxically, the poorest and most marginalized have a far greater force than the stars: the power of the vote.
