It’s a terrible shame that as socially aware as American television host Conan O’Brian was a couple weeks ago during during his opening monologue for the 98th Academy Awards — trying to entertain several millions of viewers by making light of various harsh realities like the unaffordable mess called the American healthcare system and by calling out the lack of accountability many of the sex offenders listed in the Epstein Files face — all his humor fell on deaf ears. All his critical social commentary cloaked in sarcasm was treated like nothing more than empty fodder for polite, empty laughs from a stifled, tense audience.
Unfortunately, such behaviour is becoming the norm. In the past couple years, fewer and fewer celebrities are taking the stage at globally streamed award ceremonies like the Golden Globes or the Oscars to comment on the current state of the world. Award winners seem content to simply rise to the stage and acknowledge their loved ones, without adding anything more substantial, before accepting their awards and moving on. This extreme disconnect and apathy is noticeable and jarring.
Of course, not everyone was so tone-deaf at this past Oscars ceremony. American television host Jimmy Kimmel did acknowledge the limitations being placed on free speech in the US, and Spanish actor Javier Bardem clearly stated, “No to war, and free Palestine.” Iranian director and producer Mohammadreza Eyni also spoke on the red carpet, saying that the Oscars celebration was overshadowing the war devastating his nation.
This overwhelming apathy, however, does not have to be the case. As Australian actor Joel Edgerton made apparent in his red carpet interview at the same event, it’s very possible to use venues such as the Oscars to serve as platforms to amplify the influential voices celebrities already have. It’s simply a matter of being brave enough to use your voice in a meaningful way by speaking out against the great many horrors of our time.
Historically, we’ve seen the tremendous influence popular figures like Taylor Swift can have over voters. In 2018, the pop star aligned herself with two congressional Democratic candidates from Tennessee during the midterm elections in support of LGBTQ rights. She spoke out again politically in 2022, upset with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Clearly, this celebrity is not afraid to share her thoughts on what she considers moral issues. So, that begs the question: where are vastly influential celebrities like Taylor Swift now? Why are so many holding their tongues on grave tragedies like the genocide in Gaza that are being dubbed the litmus tests of our time? Swifties have been calling for Swift to announce her solidarity with Gaza for two years now only for their requests to fall on deaf ears. It’s apparent now that, in her silence, Swift has chosen to forgo the opportunity to use her sway in any significant way or to bring her vast fan base to support the cause.
As a society, we must place great shame on these powerful people who have let these various recent opportunities to speak out against the war in Iran, the genocide in Gaza, and other atrocities pass them by in favor of cowardly silence. We must also ask more of those that were brave enough to raise political discussion at global platforms like the Oscars. It’s simply not enough for even the “good” celebrities to merely allude to domestic issues like ICE overreach and expensive healthcare while completely disregarding global issues like the various highly unpopular wars and genocides taking place. It’s truly heartbreaking how instead of using these award ceremonies as avenues to further display disapproval for these human rights violations, media coverage of the Golden Globes and the Oscars is overshadowing these far more important issues.
Undeniably, celebrity opinions mean a lot in this country; film stars and musicians have powerful voices, but instead of using them, here they are, sitting in large rooms, laughing at stale jokes in their puffy dresses while the world around them is bombed to rubble. And this is simply unacceptable.
The Zeitgeist aims to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board.
