At the Met Gala in New York on May 6, the modern neologism for “guillotine” – “digitine” – is currently trending in cyberspace. American influencer Hailey Kalil has 9.9 million accounts. Believers attended the event wearing dazzling dresses adorned with crystal flowers, reminiscent of 18th-century aristocracy, and posted videos of them uttering the legendary words attributed to Marie Antoinette. Posted. All the while, pro-Palestinian protests were taking place just outside. This sparked the hashtag #blackout2024, a celebrity boycott campaign targeting stars for their tone-deaf reactions to the Gaza conflict.
The reasoning is clear. In the popular imagination, the French Revolution was a revolt against elites who were cut off from the poor and who readily offered cake in place of humble bread. Similarly, ruthless mobs are furious that the royalty, Hollywood stars, and billionaires of this era attended lavish parties, while abused Palestinians are in the midst of full-scale starvation. It's inside. However, their anger is misplaced.
The most basic argument is that there is nothing wrong with people living their lives and attending galas if it is part of their career agenda. They have no personal responsibility for conflicts elsewhere on Earth and no say in government military decisions. Perhaps their understanding of the complex politics of West Asia is superficial at best.
Moreover, who decided that aiding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza would take precedence over aiding the war in Ukraine or the famine in Yemen? Even if celebrities took to Instagram to speak out for the plight of Gazans, nothing would be accomplished. It's not like Biden is asking Taylor Swift for advice (post #blackout2024, she lost 300,000 followers for her silence on the issue).
The logic behind #blackout2024 is that celebrities rely on social media engagement for advertising deals, and blocking them en masse will reduce their online standing and therefore their income. It is laughably far-fetched to suggest that economic damage will cause celebrities to arm-twist in support of the Gazans, which will somehow influence policy and ultimately liberate Palestine. . Recent history has shown that movements with great traction like #metoo and #arabspring started conversations but ultimately fizzled out. The world's memory is poor. Internet trends are even shorter. Nevertheless, the subconscious pressure to cultivate opinions on issues in which they have no expertise persists, not just for celebrities, but for everyone. Fittingly, righteous indignation and the need to be right are ruining relationships.
Previous generations could have passionate debates with opposing viewpoints at the dinner table, but those would be forgotten with breakfast. I can't count the number of friends who have fallen out because of ideological differences. Disagreeing in writing is a lost art. For the sake of our sanity (and our friendships), it's okay to remain silent, shrug our shoulders, and flatly admit our ignorance on some issues. It is worth remembering that if we can solve problems in our own lives, it is a feat. Better than offering pointless, half-baked solutions to problems that are beyond our level of ability.
That said, when we see American college students setting up camps and demonstrating peacefully, undaunted by police threats, motivated purely by the heartbreaking plight of the underdog; There is something about it that makes me feel very humble. It does not matter whether they are right or wrong, or whether their prescriptions are imprudent. Unlike the armchair movement of #blackout2024, they are drawing the world's attention to horrific injustices. Only in the quick-thinking idealism of young people can simple but valid moral questions be raised, such as how mass extinction can occur before our eyes. . The vigils, protests, and marches for Palestine show that students are not hardened cynics who have given up on a cruel and indifferent world. Thank God for that.
The author is a director at Hutkay Films
© Indian Express Private Limited
First upload date: May 19, 2024, 07:15 IST
