Hollywood celebrities and sports stars alike have a large public platform that they can use to do good in their communities. More of these stars need to take advantage of their popularity to push our society toward a better future. With the recent arrival of Hollywood star and Minnesotan Josh Hartnett to campus, the University of Minnesota community got a refreshing voice from someone who is using his celebrity to do good. Hartnett and others got students involved in our democratic and political processes.

Along with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and the state director for President Barack Obama’s campaign, Hartnett came out to speak to students to try to re-energize the very population that helped elect Obama. Their goal was to share Obama’s message about the work he has done for young people. But more importantly, they urged students to be more politically involved by getting out to the polls and participating in forums.

Students seem to need an extra push to get involved in what may be a foreign realm of social responsibility. Hartnett pointed out to the Minnesota Daily that our democracy can be intimidating for young people and “we don’t have an involvement in politics.”

Simply being cynical and complaining to our friends is not enough to see change; we need to be more proactive. More celebrities, including professional athletes, ought to motivate those groups that don’t voice their opinions in order to be more proactive.

Whether you agree with his political leanings or not, Hartnett is being responsible by encouraging political involvement of young people. If we are going to change things for the better, we need to be involved. As Hartnett has shown, celebrities can be a great source for inspiration and motivation.