Idea Ultimate: Celebrities

Do celebrities like actors and athletes deserve the money they earn?

1. YES

1. They endure a lot of inconveniences:
   •  It is dangerous for them to make unscheduled appearances in public.
   •  They have no privacy and are constantly in the public eye.
   •  They are always followed by the paparazzi, who pry into their lives.
   •  Their lives are stressful and they have no security.
2. Many of them earn vast sums in foreign currency and the taxman can only be grateful for their massive annual contributions to the Treasury.
3. They have taken enormous risks and have worked extremely hard to get to the top.
4. As role models, they could have a positive influence on the public.
5. They possess talents that others lack.
6. They entertain millions of people.
7. Only the most talented among them will reach the top.
8. A sports career lasts only a few years.

2. NO

1. What they offer is completely unnecessary. We could all live happily without professional soccer for example.
2. Those who provide essential services (e.g. surgeons, who save people’s lives) are poorly-paid by comparison.
3. Why should they earn millions of dollars when there is so much poverty in the world?
4. Many of them lack real talent, and they have succeeded in spite of this.
5. They often set a bad example to the youth // They exert undesirable influence in society.
6. Personal profit is their sole motive and they never use their wealth and power to exert good influence.
7. They create fashions and their way of life and style of dress are considered as ideal.
8. Their salaries should be compatible with the wages/salaries most people earn.