Author: Faryn Borella
Last Saturday marked what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday. Lennon’s main focus in life was peace, as illustrated through his songs “Give Peace a Chance” and “Imagine.” Some of Lennon’s most controversial demonstrations for peace, though, were his bed-ins, where he and wife Yoko Ono would remain in bed for a full week, surrounded by paparazzi, advocating world peace. The publicity stunts were meant to be metaphorical – the message being, “I won’t get out of bed until the war in Vietnam ends.” The bed-ins always lasted a single week, but the symbolic gesture still resonates today.
Lennon’s actions were not a rare occurrence at the time. The ’60s and ’70s were marked by a bounty of political activism and humanitarianism, and celebrities played a pivotal role. Entering the new millennium, we are seeing a reemergence of such sentiments among the Hollywood community, and the practice has spread substantially. Many celebrities today have taken up publicly supporting causes. The question is, do celebrities actually care about these causes or are they simply pretending to in order to improve their public image?
The benevolent act of many celebrities is seemingly transparent at this point. Yes, they attend a few charity events, maybe drop a few thousand dollars in donations – perhaps they even make a public service announcement – yet it all seems forced.
Take Naomi Campbell, for example. The world-acclaimed supermodel signed on to an anti-fur campaign with People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1994 entitled “I’d rather go naked than wear fur.” In the ad, she posed completely nude with the campaign’s slogan printed directly above her head. Yet, in 2007, Campbell agreed to represent furrier Dennis Brasso’s fall line. In response to the ensuing public outrage, Campbell admitted to never having given up fur in the first place.
So what distinguishes the hypocrites – those only in it for the money and a better image – from those who truly want to make the world a better place? There is no simple answer; it is more of a judgement call, up to the discretion of the observer. When a celebrity is being genuine, though, the effect is usually apparent.
Famed actor Sean Penn has been a humanitarian and political advocate for years. Ever since the earthquake in Haiti back in January, Penn has been running a refugee camp that houses over 50,000 individuals. In past years, Penn traveled to Iran as a journalist and advocated against the reelection of President George W. Bush. In 2005, during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Penn actually traveled to New Orleans and was physically present and involved in search and rescue missions. Would someone do all of that simply as a publicity stunt?
Some celebrities are subtler than Penn, but remain just as genuine. Kathy Griffin is constantly in the news advocating on behalf of equal treatment for gays and women. Leonardo DiCaprio has produced many documentaries about the environment and climate change. Drew Barrymore is an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Program. All of these celebrities selected a cause they’re truly passionate about and are actively pursuing its solution. Celebrities have a unique position in society, one that brings more attention to their work and causes, which in turn brings more attention to the celebrities themselves.
So what is the difference between Lennon and the plethora of celebrity activists today? Why does celebrity activism in this day and age feel coerced and insincere? The biggest difference between Lennon and today’s celebrities is that Lennon utilized his art form as a means to achieve his humanitarian goals.
Songs such as “Give Peace a Chance” and “Imagine” revolutionized the way people listen to music. “Give Peace a Chance” even came to define the anti-war movement of the time. Lennon used his art to embody the public sentiment at the time and in the process changed the world.
Yoko Ono once said, “Music is a healing power, and all musicians who are trying their best, they are all doing it, by their vibrations. Even if you make the music in your own garage and wouldn’t ever put it out, that vibration is healing the world.”
Celebrities today begin charities, travel abroad – do many meaningful things – but they are forgetting to use their strengths to their advantage. They are famous because they are artistically gifted, and therefore should put that gift to good use. Music, theater, art – it is the best way to make a difference.
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