Celebrities need to start thinking out loud about the war in Gaza
Celebrities guide the public in how to dress, what to say and where to shop. They are often viewed as trend-setting entities whose purpose is to inspire with their lyricism and entertain in their on-screen roles. However, celebrities can’t completely escape from reality. As the war in Gaza continues, fans are starting to expect more from the celebrities they look up to, and it takes more than a catchy tune to keep your supporters.
On Sept. 14, British singer Ed Sheeran found this out the hard way when Sheeran and his team decided to remove Macklemore from his tour. Macklemore made multiple political remarks about the war in Gaza while onstage, including a call to “free Palestine,” performing a song dedicated to Palestinian protesters, and using the term genocide to describe the death toll in Gaza.
After pushes from the owner of the stadium in which Sheeran was performing to drop Macklemore from his bill, Macklemore was pulled from the tour – and fans were displeased. Sheeran has since rapidly lost followers on Instagram, and people have expressed their dissent of the decision to remove Macklemore on social media platforms like TikTok.
Sheeran hasn’t been the only celebrity to face backlash relating to the war in Gaza. Gal Gadot has been the subject of extensive ridicule on TikTok due to her support of Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian war. While much of the criticism takes the form of jokes about her lack of emotional expression in her roles, people have run boycott campaigns and protests to demonstrate their disapproval of her beliefs. Whether the fault is her acting or her pro-Israel posts, Gal Gadot’s recent projects have suffered.
It seems that today, more people base their following of celebrities on their political beliefs – but should we expect celebrities to participate in politics? In comment sections, TikTok users call for their favorite influencers to use their platforms to speak out against the war and criticize those who don’t. Celebrities and influencers are faced with a choice: speak their beliefs and risk losing their fans, or stay silent and risk losing their fans. To many, not saying anything at all is a statement in itself. When Sheeran allowed Macklemore to be removed from his tour, it sent a message that the war in Gaza was not more important than his ticket sales.
There are things happening in the world that we aren’t talking about enough. Without attention and discourse, things are slow to change. Constantly in the public eye, celebrities are in a unique position to expedite the process of change. The messages they send can quickly reach a broader audience and hopefully catch the attention of policymakers capable of implementing changes.
Sheeran said that he doesn’t use his platform for politics, but whether they like it or not, there is a growing expectation for celebrities to take political action. As people with the ability to be heard and seen by the masses, celebrities should take advantage of their limelight and use their singing voices to speak out against the war in Gaza.
Macklemore said it best, “Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things. But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.”
