Politicians Aren't Celebrities

I think society misunderstands politicians. I say that because they’re meant to serve us, not the other way around. Unfortunately, far too often they’re deified by fans. It’s weird, it’s creepy and it’s unhelpful. It also does their flaws and limitations a disservice.

This isn’t a left or right issue. Many political figures are elevated beyond reason, sometimes to the point of cult leader status. Even nowadays, when it’s trendy to be skeptical, anti-establishment or populist leaders are revered in hopes that they’ll rebuild the status quo. And when they don’t? They’re tossed in favour of new leaders who disappoint too. I’m not sure what people expect, truthfully.

It’s gotten really bad recently. Figures like Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani are held up on a pedestal constantly as examples of “gold standard politicians”, and how dare anyone criticize them? Not that Trump and Mamdani are remotely alike, but the levels of frustrating reverence for them is part of the problem. It robs them of their humanity to be shielded from rebuke. It’s also frustrating to watch.

This isn’t a problem exclusive to The US. In Brazil, Lula da Silva was championed as being the one to redeem the country from Jair Bolsonaro. Not that I’m complaining about Bolsonaro losing, he was a terrible leader, but proclaiming da Silva a saint isn’t helpful. I guess Brazilians learned that lesson the hard way, as evidenced by Bolsonaro’s son tying the most-recent elections.

Another example of this is Japan’s current Prime Minister. It might be unique that it’s a woman, considering how patriarchal Japan is, but Sanae Takaichi doesn’t deserve the adoration she’s received from her base, which contains disenfranchised youth. She not only considers Margaret Thatcher a source of inspiration, she’s openly xenophobic and anti-immigration. It’s a problem considering Japan views its mixed-racial population as second-class, and Takaichi’s policies don’t help.

Perhaps the weirdest example is Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine. I don’t envy the man’s situation of leading a country in the midst of a war, and I’m sure he’s competent, but the frequent platitudes feel…disingenuous. He’s not a god, he’s a comedian-turned-politician in an unfortunate situation. And he’s not without issues, too. I wish more people understood this.

If I sound overly-cynical, it’s for a good reason. Far too often, we think of politicians doing the bare minimum as being better than they are. Because they’re flawed, and they break promises or make disappointing decisions regularly. It doesn’t matter their political persuasions, they’re human beings. And they’re meant to serve the people.

I think this gets lost in the conversation about political figures. We can be happy when they make good decisions. And sometimes those decisions are worth celebrating. But that doesn’t make them gods. It simply means they’re doing their job, however rare that is.

So why do we romanticize them? What is it about them that we aspire to, ignoring the corrupting influence? Remember that many politicians, even the “good ones”, are already well-off before coming to power, which means they lack the every-man experience. And when they have it, they still regularly have an off-putting personality. There’s a reason politicians are frequently corrupt, and it’s because that’s the job. You can’t climb the totem pole without breaking hearts!

Maybe that’s why, and I’m sorry for bringing my faith into this, Judaism’s so anti-politician. They might be “necessary”, but Judaism doesn’t think highly of power systems. Important figures are repeatedly chastised and called out, and we’re warned by our prophets about the dangers of kings. Our prophets are also chastised by God, showing that they too aren’t immune to missteps. If a religion does that, why can’t everyone else?

It’s a problem because treating politicians like celebrities is unhealthy. I’d argue treating celebrities like celebrities is unhealthy too, but politicians have the potential to cause serious, lasting damage when made into celebrities. Because they’re not celebrities, they’re our employees. They’re supposed to work for us, not the other way around. Would you romanticize your employees if they sucked at their job? No, you’d fire and replace them with someone else!

That’s really my issue here. I’m not against leaders, even when they don’t live up to my expectations. But I keep my distance and know when to call them out. That doesn’t meant being unfair in my critiques of them, but it does mean knowing when to criticize them. Because they’re human. And as much as some might be significantly worse than others, in the end that humanity needs to be understood by people in general. It’s the only way we can demand accountability in times of need or disappointment.

So yes, I don’t think we should be deifying political figures, or people in general. You can disagree, but I’m holding steadfast to my remarks. Because it’s unhealthy to elevate a human being to god-like status. It’s not only idolatry, it also sets up false expectations. And besides, why worship someone who’s going to eventually disappoint you? Can you honestly handle that kind of rejection?