The advocacy circuit for change in Africa lacks celebrity participation in bottom-up movements, as opposed to top-down campaigns.. It may be convenient for a while, giving us a fabricated sense of security, but I fear as we continue to collectively refuse to hold these uncomfortable truths, and include them in the image we build of our leaders ultimately, we are opening gaps for potential harm to go unacknowledged, and are creating opportunities for our communities to disempower, silence, and neglect those speaking out against harm caused by our leaders. Oprah Winfrey at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Henley-on-Klip, South Africa. Is Digital Connectedness Good or Bad for People? It requires continuous and committed effort to maintain collective decision-making and accountability systems, and existing in a social and economic structures that work against this generally leaves these efforts un or under-funded. Dr Martin Scurr: Why have I always had a runny nose for 30 years? you know how many people are inspired by my story?. We struck up a conversation, and they said that it was a pity that I had not witnessed the event that had taken place not long before my arrival in town a few weeks earlier. I hope people take away from this piece is a critique of cultures and practices around leadership that progressive and left-leaning movements are maintaining, not a cancelation of individual leaders themselves. Furthermore, celebrity activism is based on the premise that if we only knew about an issue, we could do something, anything, to make a difference. ENGLISH. One way is a disinvestment in ones own capabilities and potential. "While it's good all of these celebrities stepped up, they inadvertently pinpointed a major issue in celebrity activism: White celebs get the privilege to take their time to speak about issues that don't affect them. Mother Jones recently published an ironic map, violent and autocratic rule of the Congo Free State, suggests that the fascination for celebrities, USs Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Many of the policies promoted by the ever-growing influx of celebrity activists have been paternalistic, detached from reality and counterproductive. However, what I severely criticize are those celebrities that feel compelled to become involved in severe conflicts and quickly design ambitious approaches and projects that can only live in the elevated world of international politics and high diplomacy. Former Vice-President Al Gore, star of An Inconvenient Truth, racks up an electric bill 20 times the national US average. And while celebrities undoubtedly help bring serious issues to a larger audience often encouraging pledges from governments, policymakers and businesses the problem lies in that they are much less effective at transforming all this into appropriate, tangible policies. When the main outcome we are looking for in our leaders a social justice version of the same entertainment, inspiration, and endorphin rush we find by following mainstream celebrities and their lives, we are limiting everyone involved while increasing avenues for potential harm. However, far from being deterred, celebrity activists find solace in the assurances of so-called experts, specialists and analysts who fill the ranks of leading international organizations, Washington think tanks and Ivy League universities. Sadly, this approach does not fit well in a five-minute YouTube video or an inspirational TED Talk. This Celebrity Dieting Fad Can Actually Do More Harm Than Good Star power - but does the intervention of George Clooney etc.do more harm than good? It can also look like de-prioritizing building our own analysis of the issues and vision towards liberation, an exciting, gratifying part of social justice movements. My new friends began to describe how there had been a massive gathering in the stadium for the screening of a video put together by a foreign NGO. We treat this subject and the negative unintended consequences in our 6-episode DVD Series on poverty and development. Two, the actual purpose of posting a black image in the first place. Some (I cant think of any, but im sure there are some) may approach a campaign with a genuine solidarity and interpersonal skills to work effectively with diverse people, and others not. Heres one more video youll enjoy on this topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxASM44gPlU. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. It provides them with access to new outlets political talk shows or international forums and helps polish their personal brands. Celebrity-led campaigns do often prove to be highly successful in generating broad public support. The backing of an campaign like Stop Hate for Profit is not in fact necessary to make an impact, Tyree says, but it helps to have an established set of goals and ideas to back up the posts. I want to see us hold ourselves and our leader in the full potential of each others humanity, something I do not see us doing when we place individuals on pedestals, refusing to hold space for potential mistakes, let-downs, and harm we all of the potential to cause. This can also look like believing a celebrity activists analysis and beliefs to be irrefutable as well as universally applicable and relevant. Many celebrities engage in activism, but often their work is Yet if the cycle of simplified celebrity messages leading to ineffective even harmful African policy is to be broken, genuine engagement with, and commitment to, the people they advocate on behalf of is critical. If you feel invested in a cause, engage it with all your passion, but tread carefully. Paul Cullen Partnerships. Crucially, celebrities may use soft power techniques to facilitate a 'politics of attraction' to reconfigure concepts of global identity, citizenship and solidarity. They can use their fame to make international events known. Now he is interested in responsible travel and community tourism. This puts them in a precarious position where theyre generally the first items to be deprioritized when organizations find themselves lacking in resources (time, funding, capacity), which is frequent and common. Not only this, but in these idealized perceptions of individuals, we often disconnect from the reality that even in their greatness, our leaders (now celebrities) still hold the potential to cause harm as we all do. DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. Additionally, when we consider how we relate to someone and their work we can ask ourselves whether we are seeking to replicate or replace the role someone holds, or motivated to expand, adopt, and build alongside an area of work, value, or practice. Engaging in another persons work in this way can impact us in a few key ways. Their writing focuses on topics including gender-based violence, environmental justice, and connections between grief (personal and collective) and our ever-expanding experiences of intimacy. Being told that you have an urgent responsibility to act in order to help solve a conflict that you hardly even knew existed in the first place is the first step down a slippery slope of continuous despair, wasted goodwill and neo-colonialism. Ultimately, however, while social media can raise money and awareness, its only one part of a larger puzzleone that wont be solved by any single campaign. This pressure and relationship to funding often plays a significant factor in the development of an organizations culture, heavily influencing who non-profits hold themselves accountable to. Blackout Tuesday: Why posting a black image could be doing more harm In this case, the endless runny nose results from irritation of the nasal lining, a spongy membrane that . Allowing space for the potential of certain leaders to cause harm left me feeling vulnerable, conflicted, and defensive. Here are some powerful examples of the complexities of intervening in international conflicts which might help you better understand the point I tried to make in the article: http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/whats-wrong-with-the-bill-gates-bono-approach-to-saving-the-world.html, http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/10/is_george_clooney_helping. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. And now, as climate discussion becomes increasingly important, its still the same issue we need more than ever to do something about the environment, but the actions of celebrity eco-hypocrites is still proving off-putting to the wider public. This article includes content hosted on counter.theconversation.edu.au. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Others, however, view celebrity activists as inspirational role models who are truly passionate about their causes. Rather than confronting the structural issues our work faces, we offload those contradictions onto specific organizations. facebook. 23m ago. Okay, wait, let me calm myself, andhahahahaha! And I wonder, how revolutionary can our movements truly be if there is no space for those of us who are living in the context of these conditions and identities? If you do decide to take that leap, then start by listening rather than preaching, facilitating rather than commanding, cooperating rather than defeating, creating organically rather than planning mechanically, and seeking to unsettle the status quo rather than trying to control it in its entirety. . Once again pushing us into binary thought of good or bad people, it creates an opening for mainstream narratives that attempt to justify violent institutions including militarized police forces, and prisons, arguing that there are people who belong there, when we know this isnt the case. Still, that didnt prevent roughly 300 people taking 114 private flights and mega yachts to the resort, nor Google transferring them privately in luxury vehicles and helicopters. Thunberg announced that she would attend a UN climate summit by taking a carbon-neutral yacht across the Atlantic. Andrs has worked for NGOs in Costa Rica and Uganda in the fields of transitional justice and conflict transformation, his writings featuring in Waging Nonviolence and The Peace and Conflict Monitor . Waging Nonviolence content falls under a, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/magazine/12wwln-idealab-t.html?_r=4&, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii_k_AUqo8I&feature=share&list=TLE94OXxqmE7E, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxASM44gPlU. This analysis always implies that imagining people in other subject positions might make for "better" activism. Some would say that its the symbols that are important if Emma Thompsons message is heard, its worth it in the long run. On the flip side, this way of engaging in someones work or analysis also places far too much weight and expectation on what any one person or one groups framework can reasonably accomplish. . Away from the fantasy world of easy-to-understand, black-and-white, single-story views of a conflict lays a world of complexity, depth and uncertainty. Share this article: Im writing this as someone whos experience of burn out was severely exacerbated by a broader culture that centers individualist and competitive action, deeply rooted in capitalist value systems. And, most importantly, why should you become involved? Reduction of discrimination of minorities. Taylor Swift understands the influence of her massive fanbase and ensures that she sets a positive example in supporting those at risk or in need, Taylor Swifts lyrical choice of GLAAD instead of glad proves her commitment to interweaving her activism with her artistry, Release date of You Need to Calm Down music video commodifies Pride Month, Taylor Swifts rivalries in her Reputation album and her support of the LGBTQ+ community might be part of the same career strategy, Taylor Swift is a powerful ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, but there are members of the community that are actually icons, Many celebrities engage in activism, but often their work is misinformed and causes more harm than good, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/10/celebrity-activism-africa-live-aid, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/i-take-responsibility-and-the-limits-of-celebrity-activism, https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/celebrities-impact-top-2017-activism/, https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a32741399/rihanna-shuts-down-brands-blackout-tuesday/, https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/6/17/18682588/taylor-swift-you-need-to-calm-down-gay-anthem. GO TO ORIGINAL links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. Celebrity-led campaigns do often prove to be highly successful in generating broad public support. This is because they draw on the self-serving guilt trips that lead many people to believe that their privileged position has invested them with the burden and the responsibility to save those less fortunate from their plight. Though Im sure there are many more, next steps I am envisioning right now begin with investing in relationships with our peers, in deepening our personal visions for what liberation might look like, in studying the organizational and collective contexts under which many of our most dynamic movement leaders developed their thought and action, in joining and actively participating in local organizations and community groups, and learning how to be in conflict with each other, to disagree with one another without expanding violence towards each other, to learn how to respond to harm with compassionate accountability. Powered by Tom, Hamish & Aaron. . 'The Activist' reality TV show sparked furor, but treating causes as After a few years of working for non-profits that not only de-prioritized care or rest, but rewarded overwork and lack of boundaries, I crashed. It is not uncommon for a celebrity to use their status to start. We demonize people or we put them on pedestals. For example: This article was originally published on. Activists do more harm than good to their cause. We do not need celebrities who we idolize or idealize, who we dont feel comfortable questioning, who we dont feel safe challenging. Their organizing efforts have focused on gender justice, labor, environmental justice. In doing so, I was simultaneously detaching myself and the leaders I idolized from our respective humanity, which I will speak to more directly later on. We see these forms of engagement lead to fragmented relationships, uncoordinated movements, and the formation of social cliques. The mainstream funding model in the U.S is steeped in capitalist notions, assigning those with resources the authority to define (in a social context) who is and is not important expressed by what work, people, and locations receives funding and other resource support. Between the 1930s and 1950s, suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst fought for a fascist-free, and later independent, Ethiopia, and a few decades later Bob Geldof and Band Aid raised 30m for the victims of the countrys famine. I realized that, of course, they were talking about the launch of the first Kony 2012 video campaign by the U.S.-based organization Invisible Children. Leonardo DiCaprio, one of Hollywoods biggest proponents of climate change, continues to use a mega yacht and private planes. Should we question the motives of celebrities who hire expensive PR experts to sell their convictions? I do not want to see us move into a way of relating which is defined by potential for harm. Mother Jones recently published an ironic map of the African countries celebrities have claimed through their charity work: Richard Branson, Oprah and Will Smith have South Africa, while Botswana is Kim Kardashians. You could do worse than start by reading (yes, reading!) Causes are to celebrities what corporate social responsibility is to business Between the 1930s and 1950s, suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst fought for a fascist-free, and later independent, Ethiopia,. not all celebrities act or are the same. Celebrities actors, musicians tend to react emotionally and inexpertly to complex political and economic problems, drawing attention to . and followed by Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, the UK, Bermuda, the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, Singapore, etc. She points to the way the hashtag #MeToo went viral when used in a tweet by Alyssa Milano. I realized that, of course, they were talking about the launch of the first Kony 2012 video campaign by the U.S.-based organization Invisible Children. The tragedy behind these sorts of campaigns is that they are motivated by the belief that problems around the world remain unresolved due to the lack of international awareness of their existence or global commitment to resolve them. We begin to equate having a lack of boundaries with proving our commitment to struggle. [] TRANSCEND MEDIA SERVICE Why Celebrity Activism Does Go to this article []. I saw them as unquestionable, unable to make mistakes or have short comings, and sometimes, I even started to see them as unable to cause harm or enact violence. To trot out an old clich, they talk the talk (boy, do they talk), but they refuse to walk the walk. As a result of participating in these systems, I had internalized the harmful idea that the large majority, if not entirety, of my worth was grounded in my ability to be both productive and available. In the past, as I was beginning to notice my patterns of thought that viewed movement leaders through a binary lens, and relating to them through practices found in celebrity culture, I also noticed myself disengaging from uncomfortable, or unpredictable elements of their humanity. My experience working with armed conflicts and humanitarian crises has shown me the disastrous effects that such views tend to have on the ground. At that point, responses to unaddressed trauma and burn out had expanded into frequent panic attacks and migraines, dangerous weight loss, and rashes developing under my eyes and on my chest among other symptoms. I want to see us reject individualist, celebrity culture, and lean into exploring what collectively-led and community-defined liberation might look like for all of us. For all three, a central question dogged the hashtags: what could short-term social-media action actually do to create long-term change? We need leaders who guide, facilitate, initiate, coordinate, listen, commit, clarify, and follow-through. The day-long freeze, during which the celebrities ceased to share photos or posts on either platform, was organized by Stop Hate for Profit, a coalition of nine civil rights groups that are asking Facebook to make policy changes to address online harassment and conspiracy theories that spread place on the platform. Just who I am. As I listened to the mens account of how the crowds anger turned to violence, I could hardly keep myself from thinking how emblematic and representative such an event was of countless celebrity-fueled, do-good awareness campaigns that I had already had the misfortune to witness over the years. As we work to be free of a culture of punishment/revenge, we also have to confront the other side. Should celebrities promote charities? | New Internationalist This can look like expecting our leaders to always be available, always be working, to conflate our leaders with their work, to view them as incomplete without it. Georgia Cole, Ben Radley and Jean-Benoit Falisse for The Conversation, part of the Guardian Africa network. . TV personality Kim Kardashian and model Naomi Campbell take a selfie in 2016. Andres Jimenez is a conflict-transformation facilitator, a trainer in nonviolent methods of conflict resolution and an international conflict analyst. Perhaps we should also highlight some good examples of activist celebrities.