Celebrities mouthing off can be annoying but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt

We’re all human. It is to be expected that our opinion on celebrities mouthing off about political and social issues is flavoured by our own stance on the subject under discussion.

In the astronomically improbable event of Graham Norton identifying same-sex marriage as an unholy abomination, woolly liberals such as your current correspondent would find it hard to suppress thoughts that he should stick with his hugely entertaining deconstructions of the plug-based television interview. Don't you abhor the sense of entitlement? Who made you equalities tsar, Norton?

Of course, Graham did no such thing. In an impressive interview with Stuart Clark of Hot Press , Norton attacked RTÉ's payout to the journalists offended by Rory O'Neill's comments on the Saturday Night Show and described those opposed to same-sex marriage as "sucking the joy out of life". What an admirable fellow! What a credit to the nation!

Let's (for just a second, mind) leave aside the most-discussed topic of 2014 and move on to David Bowie's more surprising, remotely expressed opinions at the Brit Awards. The great man was – Noel Gallagher's words, not his or mine – "too cool" to turn up for "this shit", so he sent top model Kate Moss to accept the gong for best LP. Wearing a garment hewn from the same cloth as one of Bowie's famous stage costumes, David's spokesperson on Earth thanked everyone nicely, made an off-centre remark about rabbits and urged Scotland to "stay with us".

Confusion spread across our neighbouring nation(s). Very sensibly, official representatives of the Yes camp in the upcoming referendum on Scottish independence have, at time of writing, kept strategically quiet on the unexpected outburst. Alec Salmond, among the canniest politicians in these islands, knows to avoid laying into the era's most adored senior celebrity. It would be akin to attacking Paddington Bear.

Out there in the social-network ether, radio silence was broken noisily and abusively. What gives some English bloke, who lives in New York, the right to pontificate on the constitution of Scotland? Folk with Yes icons emblazoned on their Twitter avatars fumed in mock outrage. Self-styled “cybernats” (that’s cyber-nationalists to you and me) boasted they had dumped “all [his] music in the bin”. Show me the bin, darling. Show me the music.

Selective perception
We don't need to ask if nationalists would be quite so outraged if an émigré had come out in support of independence. For decades, the Scottish National Party tolerated donations from Sean Connery while that actor lived in Spain and Barbados. Anger in such situations is selective.

Mind you, the No campaign would be as well to treat this apparent endorsement with some caution. David Bowie has, to put it mildly, an unhappy history with political engagement. Back in 1975, he argued that Britain was "ready for a fascist leader". Never being a wholly committed Nazi, I have, when pondering that outburst, found myself slipping back into the Shut Up Celebrities faction. The fact that it was "just the cocaine talking" diminished the offence only a little.

That noted, we should, when we are able, applaud celebrities who bother to take an interest in the world around them. Sure, it can be a little unsettling when this actor or that pop star uses an awards ceremony to push their political agenda. In 1978, accepting an Academy Award for Julia , Vanessa Redgrave, stalwart of the Workers Revolutionary Party, took time to berate the "Zionist hoodlums" who were protesting her support for the Palestinian cause. The language was intemperate. The crowd was not entirely accommodating. But at least Redgrave was bothering to take an interest. Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins may not achieve a great deal by waving peace signs at the Oscar masses. It is, however, commendable that they think to look beyond the confines of their luxurious homes and consider the suffering of others. It hurts a little, but I'm going to say it anyway. You keep at it, Bono.

Every now and then, a celebrity actually says something that makes sense and encourages the watching public to consider their own complacency. Brendan Gleeson's furious tirade about the condition of Irish hospitals on the Late Late Show in 2006 was just such an event. Noting his articulacy and sincerity, few commentators felt able to suggest he get back before the camera and stick to his make believe.

Easy arguments
Then again, even the most brutal fascist would accept the sick and dying deserve a degree of dignity. Returning to our opening argument, the real challenge comes when we are faced with a celebrity who uses an interview or awards ceremony to promote a view that we find repugnant. Engage with the argument, don't engage with the fame. Okay, it's a near-impossible task. But it's worth trying.