Global Breaking News - Thursday, October 8, 2026

 When famous people such as actors, athletes and rock stars give their opinions, many people listen. Do you think we should pay attention to these opinions? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

We are often told that every individual’s opinion is valid and that all of these various opinions are equal. Some people believe that the opinions of famous people such as actors, athletes and rock stars are more important than the opinions of regular people. However, from my perspective, that is not true because it does not mean that a person is more intelligent just because the person is famous and many of celebrities’ opinions are based on ulterior motives.
* individual = 개인의 / valid = 주장이 옳은, 타당한, 유효한 / athlete = 운동선수 / rock star = 록 스타 / perspective = 관점, 시각, 견지 / intelligent  지능이 높은, 머리가 좋은, 총명한 / celebrity = 유명인사 / ulterior motive = 숨은 동기, 의도

To begin with, just because a person is famous does not mean that the person is more intelligent. Athletes are famous because of physical skills, actors because of acting skills or appearance and rock stars because of their music. Though those are valuable skills, it does not necessarily mean that they are more intelligent than other people. Shaquille O’Neal, for example, is famous around the world for his skills on the basketball court; thus many people, especially young people, listen to what he says. The fact is, he was a mediocre student in university and is no smarter than a regular person. People often consider fame as intelligence just because a person is in the public eye, but it does not indicate that the person’s opinion is more important.
* physical skill = 신체 기능 / acting skills = 연기력 / appearance = 외모, 외양 / valuable = 소중한, 귀중한 / necessarily = 반드시, 필연적으로 / mediocre = 보통밖에 안 되는, 썩 좋지 못한 / fame = 명성, 평판 / in the public eye = (신문, 방송을 통해) 세간의 주목을 받는 / indicate = 나타내다, 가리키다, 암시하다

Moreover, it is not a very good idea to take the opinions of celebrities more seriously than regular people because many opinions of famous people are often not based on their own feelings. In other words, when celebrities voice their opinions to the public, they are well aware of the fact that people are inclined to listen to what they have to say. For this reason, any celebrities will often state opinions based on whatever opinion is popular at that time. For instance, an actor whose career is lagging may go public supporting a popular opinion, whether they agree with it or not, just in order to regain popularity and jumpstart their career. For that reason, the opinions of celebrities should be taken with a grain of salt.
* voice = (말로) 표현하다 / public = 대중, 일반인 / be well aware of = 익히 알다, 잘 알다 / are inclined to = ~하는 경향이 있다, ~로 기울다 / based on = ~에 근거하여 / at that time = 그 때 / lag = 뒤쳐지다, 느리다 / go public = 공개하다 / regain = 되찾다, 회복하다 / popularity = 인기, 명성 / jumpstart = 활성화시키다, 밀어서 시동시키다 / take with a grain of salt = 가감하여 듣다, 걸러듣다

In conclusion, while the opinions of celebrities may be as valid and equal as the opinions of regular people, it does not mean that their opinions are more important. The reason for this is that just because a person is famous it does not show that the person is wiser, and sometimes celebrities’ opinions are not their real feelings. It is important for us to remember that celebrities are people just like us.
* In conclusion = 결론적으로 / wise = 지혜로운, 현명한