Photo: Ron Eisenberg/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
As awards season draws to a close, many celebrities continue to prove how disconnected they are from a crisis-ridden world in dire need of influential action.
fashion week. Grammy Award. Bafta tribe. Englishman. Golden Globe Awards. And just yesterday, the Oscar ceremony was held. It's been an award-filled few months, and as usual, coverage of the event spread online, including what people wore, who they showed up with, and what they said on the red carpet.
But other news is also circulating. Genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. 8 million people displaced people in sudan.There are millions of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. forced to flee Rebel battle.whole community driven into poverty Due to rising prices. All the while, polluted air and water continue to kill people in the Global South. anti-trans and anti-abortion Laws are being brazenly introduced and strengthened in countries considered to be “developed” countries. And relentless police, military, and state violence is a constant presence in the lives of marginalized and racialized people.
As celebrities rock their ballgowns, it's hard not to notice the vast gulf between the glamorous world of fame and the real world, a world in perpetual jeopardy.
In 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy will given the floor At the Grammys, he implored the West to support his resistance to Russian aggression. For a time, international awards ceremonies became rare bastions of political activism. Two years on, and in recent months, awards ceremonies, fashion shows and high-profile events alike have officially highlighted the lack of similar benefits given to Palestinians.
Furthermore, few public figures have spoken out about Palestine at all. Most of these people are either Muslim, black, brown, or Latino. Khalid AbdallahKehlani Ramy Youssef melissa barelaand india moore for example.Ann instagram account Celebrities who have spoken out about Palestine include those who have said: anything About Palestine. These actions are often relatively non-committal, such as signing an open letter or resharing a post on social media. While such actions are better than nothing, they still fall short of the scale of influence that celebrities have when considering power, privilege, and protection.
Along with the widespread silence on Palestine, other recent events demonstrate how out of touch with reality public figures are. During the press tour of dune part 2, Anya Taylor-Joy and Florence Pugh's costumes both sparked outrage over religious appropriation. The dress Taylor-Joy wore It looked like an abayameanwhile Pyu was wearing a scarf.In other news, environmentalists also weigh in on Taylor Swift's Constant use of private jets Because it would cause undue harm to the earth.Conversation since then Expanded scope to examine travel patterns The world's most privileged people and how their lifestyles are causing climate change, private jets have become a symbol of the delusions of excess wealth and self-respect.
Celebrities who are financially, socially, and materially well off worry about being cancelled, even though they are protected by fame.
There are some rare examples of celebrities who seem to understand how their privilege works, and that their own involvement in social justice movements can foster important conversations. While recognizing it, it instead draws attention away from itself. Back in June 2020, actor Cole Sprouse was arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest in Santa Monica.in statement He took to his Instagram to clarify what his arrest meant, and what it didn't. How it should and shouldn't be viewed.
At the heart of the issue of celebrity inaction is a question of proportionality and liability.When the delivery person went On strike They faced intense backlash over unfair wages and working conditions on Valentine's Day. police violence; What activists are facing is suspected terrorism Several years in prison for taking action against Cop City, Atlanta's ecologically destructive expansion of policing.and many people involved in art, culture, and media. fired Or being punished for speaking out about the genocide in Palestine.
Racialized and marginalized people who are directly affected by systemic injustice often have the most to lose when standing up to them, and yet they do it anyway. They are leading a resistance, and they are doing so while experiencing the very act of fighting oppression. In comparison, Celebrities with financial, social, and material cushions worry about being canceled, even though they are protected by fame.
Since last night's Academy Awards, compliments have been pouring in for the celebrities who wore them. Artists supporting ceasefire Badges are attached to designer costumes. But surely the time has come for us to call out the piecemeal nature of such symbolic actions in response to genocide. What was more effective was protesters The arrival of some celebrities was delayed by up to an hour as they called for an end to the bombing of Gaza, which blocked roads outside the Oscars venue.
In the real world, editors quit Their work surrounding magazines that publish pro-Israel content. Playwright Victor I. Cares refuse Taking HIV medication until their company, New York Theater Workshop, calls for a ceasefire.and like a scholar Amin Hussein and Jairo Funes-Flores Despite facing suspension, it continued to express solidarity with Palestine. Some artists are pulled out The performance at the SXSW festival was made possible by sponsorship from the U.S. Army and companies involved in weapons manufacturing.
We must demand the same from our celebrities. Their actions must be bold: quit, strike, boycott. Imagine an Oscar ceremony with no one in attendance. The night of the Baftas, when people refused awards. A multi-million dollar movie went empty after the lead actor refused to film. This is the kind of influence that only celebrities can have, and it's an action that makes a much more significant statement than wearing a small pin on your lapel.
Imagine an Oscar ceremony with no one in attendance. The night of the Baftas, when people refused awards. A multi-million dollar movie went empty after the lead actor refused to film.
It's time for us to start questioning prestige as a structural privilege, just like being white or being male.because Fame creates power relations that allow certain people to be excluded or given special treatment over others.
Fame, and the wealth and status that comes with it, are privileges, even if celebrities experience racialization and marginalization. Intersecting identities means that we all occupy intersecting positions in the socio-economic hierarchy. Like race, gender, and class, fame is also one of the characteristics that define a person's position. In the words of Kehlani, who shared about the massacre in Gaza in a now-deleted Instagram post: “To my friends and those in the space I'm in: What is wrong with you? ” ?Keeping quiet for money or business is the same as something terrible happening. There's so much unchecked privilege in literal shit display that it's infuriating. That's disgusting. ”
Of course, fame comes with its own set of disadvantages. The relentless intrusion of fame, such as paparazzi, tabloids, online trolls, and stalking, is the result of a capitalist system where gossip and hatred sell. The consequences of people being in the spotlight often lead to various mental health issues and claim many lives. In this way, the exploitation of fame and celebrity belongs to the same problem as giving such people disproportionate power in the first place.
We all have a responsibility to build and maintain the structures that support celebrity worship. We are both victims and partially responsible for the harm it inflicts on us as individuals and on us as a society. What drives it is our consent to fame. It's our obsession with celebrities and their lives. Buy the products they promote. And I devoured articles about who they were dating, what parties they went to, what drugs they took, and so on. We do not just keep our industrialized reputation alive, we keep it lit with a fiery flame of power.
Some may think it's unfair to expect their favorite celebrities to behave differently, even during a crisis. But in a world in dire need of influential action, it seems incredible that they are not using their platforms, power, and influence for good. Masu. “During a genocide, there can be no normal life,” said Palestinian poet and activist Mohamed El Kurd. Said Al Jazeera when speaking about a campaign launched earlier this year calling on artists and filmmakers to strike against German institutions over Germany's stance on Israel's war on Gaza. “It's our moral responsibility.”
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