The Golden Globes – like many award ceremonies since the induction of Donald Trump – turned into a political platform. Debra Messing called out the unfair wage gap between men and women in Hollywood. Natalie Portman commented on the numerous male nominations. And Oprah Winfrey – with one of the most socially popular moments of the night – gave an important light to the Me Too movement. Her speech even inspired the trend Oprah2020, many people hoping for her to campaign for presidency in the next election. It was an important night for women.
It seems more and more celebrities are speaking up about their political affiliations and goals, which is important under our current political atmosphere. But should we expect all celebrities to speak out? I certainly do not want anyone speaking out in support of Trump – but I would like anyone who is against him to take a stance. Celebrities have a lot of sway over social interests. People idolize their favorite celebrities: people care about what celebrities wearing, eating, and taking interest in. So, if a celebrity aligns themselves with a political movement – it would certainly garner some interest from their fans.
For example, Jonathan Toews – captain of the Chicago Blackhawks – released a very heartfelt and introspective Instagram post after Trump ended the United States’ involvement in the Paris Agreement – a political alliance focused on climate change. Toews’ post focused on the importance of understanding our influences on the environment and learning to live a more “green” life. At the time many people took this as a strong stance against Trump and his path for our government, but in an interview with The Hockey News in November, he cleared up that assumption.
His post was not him taking a stance against Trump, but a plea for every political party to see climate change as a real issue. That is a solid point; climate change certainly deserves to be on everyone’s radar. The issue is that Toews had a chance to distance himself from the President and he did not. He was given a platform and instead of owning it like Oprah, Portman, and Messing, he took the easy way out. He made himself neutral. We don’t need neutrality. We need all the voices we can get.
Toews most likely would not have even felt the repercussions of denouncing Trump. Most people already thought he had. He is a Canadian white male with in an incredibly privileged position. He has the ability to speak about injustice in politics and not deal with the consequences. It’s important that people in privileged positions speak out. It leads to interest and eventually change.
It is brave what Oprah, Messing, and Portman have done. It is also incredibly encouraging. They used the privilege they have – and the platform they are given – to make a statement that would hopefully incite their fans into action. It is important that all celebrities – liberals only, please – join them. Celebrity culture gives them a voice and they need to use it.
If we remain silent we stand still.
