Everyone has a celebrity idol, whether he or she cares to admit to it or not.

My little sister’s is Hannah Montana.

Mine is Kevin from the Backstreet Boys. (Yes, I do care to admit it.)
I have to say though, a long string of abused power has made me question my allegiance to all of my celeb favorites, even the greats like Britney Spears, Lil’ Wayne and Jerry Seinfeld.

OK, Jerry is exempt.

But nonetheless, celebrity abuse of power is a growing cause for concern.

In using their acquired status as a means to convince their sheep-like followers to ascribe to their agenda, they are irresponsibly using their powers for evil rather than good.

Exhibit A: In a 1996 episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Oprah featured a discussion on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease.

A horrified Winfrey exclaimed that she would “never eat a hamburger again.”

An objective look in the retrospective would tell you that Oprah’s exclamation was based on little more than fear-mongering.

John Lacey, then-president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association embodies the disservice performed by Winfrey, saying that her “biased show has done great damage to American farm families….[and] to millions of American consumers.”

Oprah is entitled to her opinions, and it is well known that she is full of them. But making unsubstantiated claims that have the power to affect millions of her drones, I mean fans, is just plain irresponsible when an entire industry is on the line.

Sorry to pick on Oprah, but she also wins the title of Exhibit B: In the 2008 presidential elections, Oprah’s unwavering support for President Barack Obama undoubtedly swayed the votes of many. In 2006, she urged the senator to run for president on her talk show and in 2007 she hosted a lucrative fundraiser on his behalf.

Oprah’s fanatical endorsement of a presidential candidate crosses the line between taking a stance on an issue to becoming partisan.

Celebrities bear the responsibility of role-modelship — they should hesitate to play favorites and instead should support causes rather than people.

Not all celebs, though, have used their power so haphazardly.

In 2003, after giving birth to her daughter, Brooke Shields endured a fight against post-partum depression.

When crazy Tom Cruise spoke out, Shields took action to support her cause and gave a voice to women everywhere who, at the time, had little information about this misunderstood condition.

Similarly, in March 2000, news anchor Katie Couric underwent a live colonoscopy procedure after her father died of colon cancer.

Couric wanted to demonstrate the intricacies of the somewhat stigmatized procedure and to emphasize the importance of regular screening.

Sadly, but nonetheless true, many lives will be saved because Couric had her colon examined on live television.

Yes, people should be smart enough to discriminate between what celebrities say and what is fact.

The problem is, they aren’t.

This being the case, people in power ought to think before they speak.

Kristen will not tell you who she voted for at the risk of endorsing partisanship. Try to get it out of her at kckelle2@asu.edu.