We’re in the middle of awards season, and this one has been particularly politically charged because we’re also in the middle of a contentious transition of power. At these awards shows, we’ve seen winners use their platform to make political statements in their speeches. When a celebrity chooses to speak out, it is met with very polarized reactions. Some people believe that celebrities shouldn’t talk about politics, while others applaud them for speaking up because their voice will be amplified. But of course, if people don’t agree with what the celebrity said, it’s “not their place” to be talking about such subjects. I agree that this can be potentially dangerous because celebrities have such large audiences and the power to sway public opinion, but they also have the right to that opinion and a right to speak on it.
Celebrities are people too, and you can’t choose to just see them as one of those things. Politics and government affect them as citizens, and they have many opportunities to speak out because of their prominence in society. So, why not take advantage of that? Particularly when human rights are in jeopardy. The most recent instances of celebrities criticizing politics have been more about humanitarian concerns than simply fighting back against the government for the sake of making a scene. Really, there is no “line” to be drawn, because attempting to separate someone’s career from their humanity doesn’t work. They will always be intertwined, and art will always be political. Self-expression is not limited to those with a smaller audience, to those who are less likely to upset people. Being afraid to make a ripple in the pond is more dangerous than disrupting what is perceived to be normal and okay.
Clearly, the widespread protests and declarations of dissatisfaction with the state of our country are working. Every time Donald Trump makes another tweet about SNL being “terrible” or calls another celebrity “overrated”, that’s a victory. That’s a sign that our voices are being heard. Celebrities speak for us through their voices just as much as politicians do (or are supposed to, anyways.) We are lucky enough to have the freedom of speech granted to us through the Constitution, so celebrities are allowed to use that in any way they’d like. There isn’t a separate Constitution for them. The question of what qualifies as “hate speech” and what things are or are not socially acceptable to express can get messy, yet the underlying sentiment of one’s right to speak as they wish, even in a hateful manner, remains.
Words can be powerful, and there are situations in which embracing that power is positive. Those words hold even more power when they come from someone whose influence is far-reaching. And that’s when you have a resistance on your hands. The current state of things certainly warrants some pushback, and if politicians aren’t going to step up, then celebrities certainly will. Non-celebrities will as well, as demonstrated by the global Women’s March. To silence me is to silence Meryl Streep, and to silence Julia Louis-Drefyus is to silence your neighbor. We are all in this together, and while some of us have more at stake than others, coming together to raise our voices unites us.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
-Desmond Tutu
