Recently, Ben Affleck was in the news declaring he doesn’t believe the religion of Islam’s extremely intolerant belief system poses a threat. He also added his thoughts about ISIS. 

“ISIS couldn’t fill a Double-A ballpark in Charleston, West Virginia,” Affleck said.

Whether or not you or I agree with him, I think it is important to stop and think hard before following along with the ideology of an actor merely because he or she is famous or popular. 

I love celebrities as much as the next person. I tend to get a bit excited when I see a movie with Colin Firth, Emma Stone or Keri Russell released.  However, I don’t think it’s wise to grant any more weight to what they say than a Tom, Dick or Harry off the street. 

Here’s why: The things that attract us to celebrities are their good looks, tone of voice and the roles they’ve played. Let me reiterate — roles. When we hear a man or woman in film deliver a life-changing line in a tense scene, we must remember they are not saying these words organically. Carefully crafted by a writer, tweaked by a director and producer, the words finally come to life months or years later through an actor getting paid millions to make it feel authentic. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a hard profession, and I applaud them when the storytelling is well done. Does Chris Evans really believe “there’s only one God ma’am”? I have no idea. Some say he’s a Buddhist, so probably not. Regardless, I can still thoroughly enjoy his portrayal of a beloved superhero. 

For some reason, many listen to what celebrities say on a matter and form their opinion based in part upon it. Perhaps we assume since they believe such and such and have turned out successful and beautiful, it means they are somehow correct. 

This goes back to the fallacy of “appeal to authority,” which is defined as “using an authority as evidence in your argument when the authority is not really an authority on the facts relevant to the argument. As the audience, allowing an irrelevant authority to add credibility to the claim being made.” 

In this fallacy, we end up giving too much authority to a subject merely because we love or admire it for unrelated reasons. 

A few years ago in an interview with Matt Lauer, Tom Cruise vehemently bashed the science of psychology and many modern medicines. In the discussion he implied actress Brook Shields was misled to see a counselor and take anti-depressant drugs when dealing with postpartum depression.  

“I really care about Brook Shields. I think here is a wonderful and talented woman and I want to see her do well. (But) I know that psychiatry is a pseudo-science,” Cruise said. 

I believe Tom Cruise and Ben Affleck have the right to express their beliefs freely. They also have the right to donate millions to the political candidates of their choice. But I do not believe we should take their ideologies to be logical and correct just because the person has many other endearing qualities. 

Don’t let an actor or singer persuade you one direction or another on a matter. Look to real evidence and authorities before forming opinions on important issues.