Gasp and horror

Angelina Jolie has just been appointed to a term membership on the Council on Foreign Relations (aka that stodgy yet prestigious body of old farts who have blown up countries for fun). Yeah, I'm happy for her and shit, but seriously, is running around and smiling and refugees and AIDS patients really justification for being elected to America's international relations elite? I mean, yeah, if I was a bajillionaire, I would run off to Africa to volunteer to help people too. But I'm not. I'm working hard in school and hope for a professional opportunity that will allow me to do some good in the world. It's not that I don't respect what Jolie has done both in terms of working on refugee issues and raising awareness among a pretty dense American public, but there are lots of people who work hard for such causes, but maybe can't travel as much or can't get as much attention because they're not wealthy celebrities.

Anyway, I hope Jolie benefits from the experience and takes advantage of the honor. However I also hope that the Council hasn't somehow been cheapened by this. The organization is far from perfect and still dominated by old white guys, but it's also a much respected voice in world affairs, and its membership should contribute to that. Hopefully, Jolie will make such a positive contribution.