Today’s world consists of interplay between the people and the mass media. The people inform the media, and the media in turn influences the people.
For the media to survive, and thrive, it must capture the attention of the public on a constant basis. Something considered ‘Newsworthy’ is that which will do this. The more attention it attracts ultimately equals how newsworthy it is. Using this logic, this explains why shocking stories for example will always have a place, and also why celebrities and their lives will always feed the media machine.
Why people take notice of celebrities is a discussion for another time. But if I can allow myself to be as all encompassing as possible, due to the limitations, I would like to explain the lure of celebrity in Darwinistic terms. Human beings have long prospered by attaching themselves to where the power and importance lies. This impulse also explains partly why cities grew the way they did, why Donny Osmond has so many followers, and why such terms as ‘yes men’ and ‘sycophants’ exist. But I digress. Generally speaking, greater connection to the greatest number of things, with the greatest influence, allows greater knowledge and therefore leverage in one’s environment. To be as informed as possible of one’s surroundings, ensures survival. The more knowledge, the more prosperous the existence.
If celebrities take up so much space in our mass media, and therefore make up a large part of what we call society, knowledge of, and affinity with these people becomes attractive.
Celebrities, whose lives are in the public domain, effectively exploit the media, adding weight to their profile, and increasing their magnetism, in the hope of producing even more, and with that more opportunities to display their talent, increase their fame, make more money, receive more attention, increase their opportunities and so on ad infinitum
But celebrity culture, where fame and even notoriety attract the most attention, would not exist without the general public giving it their energy in the first place. So whilst the people look to mimic the successful celebrities they admire, their success would not exist were it not for a public willing to elevate them to some level of importance.
Any famous face can be enough to influence the choices we make, and the perceptions we have. The business world has successfully utilised this idea for decades. The addition of any given ‘celebrity’ to a brand can boost the selling power of the chosen product, and the importance and credibility of any given organisation.
Now, consider the profile of HMRC, the concept of ‘Tax’ in general, Self Assessment and filling in Tax Returns.
Current perceptions? Words like ‘boring’ are the kind ones, along with ‘difficult,’ ‘tiresome’ and ‘mundane.’
Words not so kind range from (when describing civil servants) ‘the enemy’ to ‘criminals,’ and the perception of HMRC is that of an organisation willing to take money by whatever means, but not so willing to give it back. Many people see themselves in opposition to the tax office and its cohorts, its associations with politics, and a government who deem it necessary to pay for the implementation of policies many people disagree with or feel they have no say in. Many people view the tax office, and its workers, as an organisation at loggerheads with the needs of the people, and accordingly will deal with the tax office only when absolutely necessary. The Self Assessment System has long been known as a difficult and daunting way of declaring tax, with people running scared from the arduous completion of their tax returns. Many a deep and already weighty accountants pocket, of which there are thousands in this country alone, has been lined, in the hope they can help them prevent the scolding letter from HMRC with threats ranging from ‘mild’ to ‘serious.’ They have told us before that they will always catch up with any unpaid tax. All in all, people are alienated from the Tax Office en masse.
Whatever way you look at it, people do NOT identify with HMRC. Without this affinity, collecting tax will always be difficult. The difficulty leads to forceful ways of collection, and deterrents. The newly introduced penalties of £10 a day, which follow the 90 day period post-deadline for Self Assessment Tax Returns, have not gone down well at all with taxpayers. The dread I feel at the thought of having to enforce this rule on the telephone to an outraged caller is unparalleled, such is its brutality.
Like many other organisations, businesses, the tax office needs to update its profile, and create an affinity with the most important facet of the industry – the taxpayer, or ‘customer.’ Without the taxpayer, the tax system is nonexistent. For too long, the HMRC have had to drag taxpayers kicking and screaming into compliance.
Men Women and children struggle to understand the reasons for the procurement of a sizeable portion of the fruits of their labour, which manifest partly in the form of war after war being waged in some other part of the world, (the reason for their existence still largely unknown and not understood) and a recession to ‘pay for’ which was not of their making. Why should they fund policies which are only undoing the problems caused by the high end financial risk-takers whose incredibly risky betting strategy failed so disastrously?
So how to pave common ground between the taxpayer and HMRC? The answer? Celebrities. Celebrities will never fail.
Political parties even now benefit from the inclusion of a celebrity face. More to the point, the evidence now shows that a person’s celebrity or financial status will benefit their political career, Schwarzennegger and Berlusconi being two of the most high profile, amongst a growing number worldwide.
A recent article by Fox News explains how the Ukrainian government works these days:
“ An extravagantly dressed pop diva, a retired football star, the son of a famous actor, an opposition leader suspiciously cozy with the government. Meet some members of the eclectic cast running in Sunday's parliamentary election in Ukraine.
Ukrainian political parties have brought in celebrities or even created fake opposition in an effort to boost their ratings and split their rivals' vote. Such tactics raise questions about Ukraine's commitment to democracy and its hopes of integrating with the West.
The Party of Regions has tried to raise its profile by offering the No. 2 spot on its candidate list to pop diva Taisia Povaliy, which guarantees her a seat in Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. The 47-year-old blonde, who wears low-cut, floor-length gowns and sings about the pain of lost love, acknowledges that politics had never been her calling.
"I never thought that I would run for parliament, I never planned it. And then I discovered that people — the people themselves — want me to represent them," Povaliy said on a TV celebrity gossip program. "What difference does it make if I work on stage or in the Verkhovna Rada?"
The much anticipated by some, feared by others ‘New World Order’ has received a celebrity fuelled shot in the arm, as this Guardian article states –
“At a press conference today at the United Nations on the second anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, a diverse coalition of world leaders, celebrities, Nobel Laureates, and non-governmental organizations called for “a just and democratic new world order….The ambitious plan, spelled out in a 347-page document titled “One World: A Plan for Just & Democratic Global Governance,” was endorsed at the conference by a who’s who of political, religious, cultural, scientific, and corporate leaders that included statesmen Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and Mikhail Gorbachev, religious leaders Pope John Paul II, the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, entertainers Jessica Lange, George Clooney, Susan Sarandon, and Martin Sheen”
And further, the debate about the legalisation of drugs, simmering for years in Britain, and knocked back at every opportunity by whichever government has the reins, has only recently received the just and relevamt attention due to the weight of celebrities championing the cause, as The Guardian writes –
“Dame Judi Dench, Sir Richard Branson, and Sting have joined an ex-drugs minister and three former chief constables in calling for the decriminalisation of the possession of all drugs.”
The high-profile celebrities together with leading lawyers, academics, artists and politicians have signed an open letter to David Cameron to mark this week's 40th anniversary of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. The letter, published in a full-page advertisement in Thursday's Guardian, calls for a "swift and transparent" review of the effectiveness of current drugs policies.”It is notable that the celebrities are listed before the lawyers and academics, resembling an order of importance in this issue.
‘Celebrity’ brings attention, brings news, and brings credibility. Celebrity brings a momentum, numbers, followers, and as a result, it brings money.
If we can get ‘celebrities’ taking our Tax Office calls, and begin a PR expedition the length and breadth of the country, letting people know that they have a chance of resolving their tax query with Calum Best, Les Battersbea (don’t know his real name), Michael Barrymore, Dean Gaffney, or ‘Kinga’ from Big Brother, they would surely approach their tax affairs in a positive manner? Would they even be willing to declare tax? There are 3 parties with this plan; HMRC, The Taxpayer, and the Celebrities themselves, all of whom benefit profusely from this idea and its implications.
From a HMRC perspective, the profile of the organisation will undeniably be amended to a more people-friendly one. An organisation that is current, less draconian, less daunting, more palatable, easier on the eye, and even more accessible to the young!
Could paying tax, or talking about tax be…*ahem* fun?
Obviously our budget will determine the size of the celebrity, metaphorically speaking of course (Dawn French will not necessarily cost more to bring on board than Kate Moss.) So it may be true to say that the gang will be comprised mainly of B-listers, maybe C-listers, and maybe even ‘slebs further up the alphabet list. But with a good scouting network, we could easily procure the equivalent of a few value-for-money loan signings or free transfers wallowing somewhere in the J’s or Q’s, who with a bit of backing may realise their ‘C’ potential.
In fact, there is a direct correlation between the further up in the alphabet you choose from, and how willing to perform the said celebrity will be. Tax is not easy to grasp, but late alphabet ‘slebs will lap it up willingly. They also win! Winning a space manning a phone in Litherland House provides a free ticket to the much sought after PR they will kill for. Their performance enhances their own prospects, Alphabet climbing being their sole purpose in life. Their status, success, and thus their career is defined by it. Their enthusiasm for the job in hand will know no bounds. They themselves will be dreaming of their meteoric rise from the pits into which they fell, following initial success which lasted only the sadly prophesied fifteen minutes.
Any previous misgivings they themselves had regarding theTax Office would be jettisoned emphatically. They would care not one jot about what some people may think of their affiliation with the so called enemy. Enemy or not, it’s like ‘whatEverrrrr,’ Z-listers being happy sell their family, even boil their own genitalia in exchange for a chance at nationwide advertising!
Imagine the metamorphosis in the offices round the country. Whereas people once lolloped into a drab, monotonous existence between the hours of 8 and 6 each day, this would be replaced by the beaming faces of people with a dynamic spring in their step, who would struggle to keep glorious, pulsating smiles under wraps as they contemplate ‘Buddying’ with Kerry Katona or Jade Goody’s ex for a week on the telephone!
Each participating office will feel the injection of a fresh and long lasting bolt of enthusiasm not seen in any branch in any part of the country since the existence of Tax!
Imagine the phone calls! Taxpayers ending their conversation with the undeniable buzz from talking to a real celeb. No longer will we as call handlers have to listen the range of expletives that are still audible in the split seconds between saying ‘Bye’ and the phone being put down by the taxpayer! Said expletives will be replaced by pleasantries! Instead of “Okay, thanks, bye……....f***** b***** c*** f**…click” we will hear “Okay, thanks, bye…….ooooooo wow did you hear that mum??!! John Leslie took me off the BR code!….click”
And the end result? More Revenue for the Revenue. People sharpening their pencils, digging out their P60’s along with the Tax Return that was stuffed (not so) absent-mindedly down the side of the couch - the ultimate act of purposeful forgetfulness, as the fear of tackling this algebra-riddled document looms. Almost Freudian in it’s repression, the Tax Return always returns from whatever recesses it was shoved into, and comes back in a manner unwanted, and usually painful. This will not be the case with our prized celebrities manning the phones. There will be gladness in declaring tax, a real sense of being ‘in it together.’
The war in Afghanistan will instantly reveal its meaning as people are willing to understand its complicated nature. The nation’s reserves of compassion which, like our currency in these times is so hard to come by, will be extended to the bankers and politicians who erred through naivety. And this love will help them grow too, to overcome their mistakes and take us into a new age of prosperity!
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/26/celebrity-candidates-and-fake-opposition-parties-run-in-ukraine-parliamentary/
