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Celebrities have spent the week dumping buckets of ice water on their heads, while few have made any comment regarding Ferguson, Missouri. There shouldn’t have to be a choice between the two -- one is a charitable cause to support the ALS Association, the other is a history-making tipping point in the way we regard race and human rights in this country -- but the discrepancy between the way celebrities have engaged with each reveals the power of their influence and the positive way it can be used, but isn't.

When we think about how celebrities have affected that number, their impact is clear. Any cause that manages to attach itself to celebrity is able to sprout legs, if only on Twitter and Facebook. They are most valued for whatever they do -- their movies / their music / whatever it is Kim Kardashian does -- and they probably shouldn’t weigh in on anything beyond that. But this is not the case. Consider the number of rich and famous people commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict unsolicited. Celebrities often insert themselves in causes and issues by which they are unaffected. That can be a good thing or a terrible thing (see the anti-vaccine movement), but it certainly changes the conversation.

If even half of those participating in the ice bucket challenge also weighed in on Ferguson, think of the way it would change their fans’ interaction with the issue. This is not to strike down a good cause, suggest that celebrities are our only source of information or posit that one must pick between awareness-raising efforts. When we look at this week in the news, these are simply the two things that are at the height of conversation. And the reality is that there are people with communicative power (or at least massive Twitter followings), who could be shaping this history-making moment. That could mean offering up support for protesters, condemning the injustices at play or just sharing that John Oliver recap of the whole thing. Ultimately, there's an ethical component to the amount of influence celebrities have in this heightened age of social media, and that influence should extend beyond dumping water on their heads.