Once Upon a Time In Hollywood: Politics, Celebrity Accountability and ‘Cancel Culture’
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash
For all the fame and glory Beverly Hills has to offer, celebrities have had a tough year. Aside from making it to their 9AM pilates classes before grabbing an Erewhon acai bowl, they’ve been hard at work canvassing young people to vote with pretty infographics and heartfelt Instagram stories. With platforms of such magnitude, what they choose to say about politics holds weight and influence.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is notorious for his history of being ‘problematic’. His harmful long-time ties with Republican politicians, anti-black and misogynoir sentiments came to head recently. Two weeks ago, he tweeted antisemitic remarks threatening to kill Jewish people and comparing Jewish record labels to modern day slavery; an accusation that perpetuates harmful myths about Jewish greed and power over the entertainment industry. Not long after, demonstrators raised a Nazi salute whilst hanging banners on a Los Angeles highway, reading: “Kanye is right about the Jews”. His belief that modern Jews are oppressing black people derives from the extremist Black Hebrew Israelite (BH) movement, where followers view black people as “semetic” and hence cannot be antisemitic - a belief Ye has previously expressed. In the past, fans have cited the rapper’s bipolar disorder diagnosis as justification, but there is no defence for hate speech that has real world implications and consequences. By invoking his platform to encourage extremist beliefs to masses of online users, who will, once they interact, find themselves in an echochamber of similar sentiments, he is effectively radicalising impressionable youths.
It seems we cannot bring one up without the other. Taylor Swift is well known for cherry-picking political issues to support. Notably during the 2016 US presidential elections, she refused to endorse a candidate and affiliate herself with a political party. Her signature and official endorsement was absent from the Planned Parenthood Ad condemning the overturning of Roe v. Wade. In being outspoken about furthering LGBTQ+ rights, the authenticity of her support is questionable considering it occurred most during promotions for her single ‘You Need to Calm Down’, of which no proceeds went towards the community despite being marketed as a queer anthem. Juxtaposed against Ye, Swift’s minimalism seems trivial in terms of damage. But silence and inaction can be equally damning, considering the crucial issues of bodily autonomy and democratic representation.
These are not stand-alone cases. Caitlyn Jenner has been criticised for her endorsement of politicians with anti-trans legislative records. The Kardashian family have been accused of building their empire of wealth upon the appropriation of black women’s beauty standards and promoting cosmetic surgeries amongst young girls and women under the guise of empowerment. Yet they continue to boast millions of online followers and land Vogue covers. Ye still has 18 million followers on Instagram, and Swift’s new album ‘Midnights’ is being streamed by millions worldwide. ‘Cancel culture’ perhaps, is simply pop culture jargon for accountability, which is hard-pressed to be found in Hollywood.
We must ask ourselves whether it is time to move past ‘stan culture’, the ‘celebrity’, and idolatry of people we recognise through a screen. Encouraging young people to vote is good, but to expect firm and informed political direction from wealthy, out-of-touch celebrities packaged to be palatable and entertaining to masses of audiences is a dichotomy that may be asking for too much.