Note: This article was written on August 8, 2024, and may contain outdated information.
In 2003, The Dixie Chicks were blacklisted in Hollywood, subjected to a myriad of hateful and sexist comments from the media, and had their music banned by radio stations all across America. What provoked this swift and ruthless reaction? It was a simple statement made by Natalie Maines, a member of the group, condemning then-President George W. Bush for his invasion of Iraq, which directly led to the Iraq War (also known as the Second Gulf War). The stated purpose of this invasion was to “disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.” Despite this, the ensuing power struggles led to the deaths of 100,000 Iraqi civilians, with estimates varying, and destabilized Iraq to the point of civil war. It would also be proven that Iraq was not in possession of any weapons of mass destruction at the time of the invasion. Criticism for this conflict grew as time went on, with protests occurring all around the United States. At the time of Maines’s statement, however, there was still strong support for the war. And in speaking out against it, Maines and her band incurred the wrath of the public. Speaking about contentious issues such as the Iraq War has always carried risks for celebrities. To be associated with scandals of any form can be disastrous for the career of anybody within the public eye.
Take Colin Kaepernick, for example, a football player who protested racial injustice and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. While many supported his protests, there were also many who criticized his actions, including then-president Donald Trump. This controversy led to his failing to sign with any team the following season and caused undeniable damage to his career.
In both of these examples, public figures have spoken up about social issues and faced serious personal consequences. For that exact reason, many of their successors have stayed silent on polarizing subjects. On the surface level, their actions are understandable. However, in the era of technology and consumerism in which we live, the power that famous people hold is at an all-time high. Having such a large platform but not using it to speak out against injustices is arguably just as bad as endorsing the misdeed itself. I believe that the aphorism “silence is violence” is more applicable now than ever. In this article, I will argue that celebrities do have a responsibility to educate themselves and their audiences on social issues.
One of the most common, arguments I see used to justify celebrities’ silence on political issues is that speaking out isn’t in their “job description.” Be it an influencer, singer, actor, or athlete, they clearly didn’t sign up to talk to their audiences about political issues. Building off of this, another common claim I see is that celebrities aren’t educated on the topic and therefore shouldn’t be spreading under-researched information to their audiences about it, with TikToker @blackdevelopmentnetwork stating, “[…] I hate performative celebrities, who clearly are not educated enough to talk about politics.” This is partially true—it’s incredibly harmful for ignorant people to be influencing the opinions of the masses. Still, this is the furthest thing from an excuse, not when access to verified, easily consumable information is at the tip of eighty-five percent of the world’s fingertips. Cell phones make it incredibly easy to educate yourself, with countless articles, videos, and historical facts existing in the same place. The issue of misinformation and propaganda is definitely worth mentioning, as it has become an increasingly pressing issue with the rise of the internet. We can see some examples of celebrities spreading false information, such as when rapper Nicki Minaj spread false information about the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, and singer Justin Bieber posted a picture of the rubble of Gaza with the text “pray for Israel” set on top of it, insinuating that the rubble was that of Israel and not Gaza. However, these are pretty uncommon occurrences, and these celebrities are privileged enough to have access to additional external factors that can further help them understand the nuances of these issues. Not only are celebrities usually wealthy, which gives them ample access to education, but many of them also personally know reporters and have very well-educated teams of staff that can easily explain these issues to them.
We have seen these connections utilized multiple times, such as when Ronan Farrow, son of Mia Farrow, reported on Woody Allen’s abuse of Farrow’s sister. As for the ostensible nonresponsibility of celebrities to speak on societal issues, it comes down to a matter of morality.
Objectively speaking, none of these famous individuals signed up to educate their audiences on ongoing issues. However, many of these celebrities do champion acceptance and equality as part of their “brands,” appealing to marginalized groups and profiting off of their supposed support of these people. If they only speak up about the societal issues that can further their careers and increase their wealth, then they are not worthy of the support of their fans and a large audience.
Recently, debates about this question of responsibility have been picking up steam on the internet. A recent trend known as the “block-out” witnessed many internet users blocking celebrities who stayed silent on issues that the internet users viewed as important. While the movement’s success is debatable, it signaled the decreasing compliance of consumers with celebrities that remain silent on political issues. It would be remiss of me not to point out that the majority of celebrities who face criticism for their lack of advocacy on the matter are female, a fact that stems from the deep-rooted sexism that female celebrities face. While they do face disproportionate hatred, that doesn’t lessen their responsibility to their fans.
An illustrative example of this is Taylor Swift. She was the most streamed artist on Global Spotify in 2023 and has an incredibly large and enthusiastic fanbase. Early on, she was one of the artists who chose to remain silent about her beliefs rather than risk her career and has even referenced the Dixie Chicks multiple times when explaining why she was so scared to speak out. However, she eventually did voice her political views when she endorsed a Democratic Senate candidate. Since then, she has made a point of advocating for women’s rights, as well as expressing her support for the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ+ rights. Increasingly, however, Swift has been facing accusations of white feminism, with a TikTok post calling her “the white feminist” gaining over 200,000 likes. White feminism is defined as an expression of feminism that focuses only on white women, failing to address the oppression faced by women of ethnic minorities. The reason that Swift has been facing so much criticism for this in recent months is because of her silence regarding the ongoing genocide in Palestine. While the US government does not believe a genocide is occurring, many disagree. This conflict is an extremely controversial issue, comparable to the invasion of Iraq that the Dixie Chicks objected to in 2003. Taylor Swift, as well as a myriad of other celebrities including Beyoncé, have remained silent regarding this conflict despite their vocal support of past societal injustices in line with this one. Though the conflict in Palestine is incredibly complex and contested, it is an undeniable truth that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are preventably losing their lives. The donations and even just vocal support of these celebrities could be the difference between life and death for so many groups of people. If a celebrity has the ability to make such a difference and has built their platform off of preaching acceptance and justice, then they have a moral obligation to speak out and use their platform for good.
With the sheer volume of violence that social media has exposed us to, it’s easy to become desensitized to the horrors that still take place around the world. It can be hard to truly understand the weight of the deaths of at least 39,000 people in Gaza, more than 15,000 of whom were children. We must continue to empathize with and support these people to the best of our abilities, and we must hold those whom we look up to accountable. These celebrities, who many hold in high regard, must utilize their platforms to support people in need. To turn a blind eye during the moments where speaking up matters the most can reveal the true nature of the people we look up to. The standards for famous individuals should be high because they hold such incredible power. While an article written in a student newspaper certainly won’t cause a billionaire celebrity to break their silence on the humanitarian crises taking place around the world, hopefully it can help open some eyes to the responsibility that these celebrities hold.