Shut Up and Act? (No!)

With the Academy Awards imminent as the culmination of the entertainment awards season, millions of big fans and not-so-big fans are anticipating the show with either giddy eagerness or expectant irritation, depending on how they feel about America’s political environment at this anomalous moment and the preordained opinionated remarks during the broadcast.

In the wake of recent awards shows speeches – most notably Meryl Streep’s at the Golden Globes and those by the prevalence of recipients at the Screen Actors Guild Awards – there has been a hailstorm of reactionary commentary in social and traditional media – one of which was the most noteworthy and predictable. Both sides of the responses were, of course, fully unsurprising. Those who support the expressed opinions celebrated by sharing videos of the speeches. Those in opposition denounced not only the views, but the inappropriateness of using an awards show as one’s personal soapbox and the qualifications of the “celebrities” to speak on such topics. It is these last two points that I am compelled to discuss.

The Academy Awards are the biggest annual television event in America, besides football and baseball championships, with viewership ranging from 30 to 55 million or 20% to 40% of households. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I watch the Oscars because I love movies and deeply appreciate the people who make them. Also, my heart looks forward to being warmed by, for example, Sandra Bullock’s choked up gratitude to her late mother, Three 6 Mafia’s unrestrained joy, Halle Berry’s tear-soaked historic tribute, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s emotional thanks to her family.

None of that would be diminished in the slightest by some of the honorees making effective use of this broad forum to voice their feelings on vital matters. In fact, it is the civic duty of every member of a democracy to engage in intelligent and respectful exchange of opinions on the issues that have a significant impact on us as a nation. Philosophically, there is little difference between expressing one’s thoughts on Facebook and adding a few words about politics in an Academy Awards acceptance speech. Both are means of healthy democratic debate.

Many people might counter that such discussions have no place in an awards show and should, instead, be reserved for rallies and news talk shows; that we tune in to be entertained, not proselytized. My view is that a larger audience carries with it a greater responsibility to be vocal. As an illustration, Jared Leto didn’t speak out about Ukraine and Venezuela at the Independent Spirit Awards, but he took the occasion to do so at the Oscars. We might as well face it, Marlon Brando and Sacheen Littlefeather started the trickle in 1973. Forty-four years later, with the social and political water levels at a high, the dam is very likely to burst this year. And, because I see this conversation as crucial for the nurturing – even survival – of our form of government, I welcome such discourse.

Many people have taken the stand that actors who live in a wealthy bubble are out of touch with “real” Americans and, therefore, should not feel entitled to preach their liberal prattle to the rest of us. To that, I argue that many of the award recipients are neither celebrities nor wealthy. They’re not even all liberal, as we’ve seen in other election years. Because I live and work in a portion of that world, I can testify that the vast majority of people in entertainment are epitomes of American entrepreneurs – they struggle financially for much of their lives, they apply themselves with dogged diligence, they continuously train to improve their skills, they keep their eye on the goal with firm determination, and when they have achieved some success, they know it’s always at risk of slipping away. All this makes them just like any other small business owner across the country, just like anyone else who has a dream, who pursues victory. Add to this that actors, directors, writers, composers, editors, and other creative craftspeople have to be able to empathize with their characters and stories – characters and stories that represent and resonate with the rest of society. Put all that together and Academy Award recipients may be better qualified than most people – particularly, politicians – to speak to and for much of America.

Look at Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams, whose inspired statement at the 2016 BET Awards had the audience on its feet for three minutes of his five-minute speech. Perhaps the audience responded as Hollywood elites, but the millions of people who shared that video were everyday people. Other actors who have spoken with admirable eloquence on significant social matters or have given remarkably motivational talks include:  Emma Watson (United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador), Meghan Markle (UN Women Advocate for Political Participation and Leadership), Idris Elba, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, Mindy Kaling, Steve Carell, Ellen DeGeneres, Kerry Washington, Ashton Kutcher, and Sandra Bullock.

The reason these “celebrities” are able to connect with their audiences, both onscreen and from a podium, is because they are real people themselves. They are not – or at least, don’t view themselves as – Hollywood elite. They are truly more similar to you and me than to our image of them. They have the same hopes, doubts, dreams, and fears as all of us. These folks have given each of us countless hours of fun, adventure, emotion, and information. In return, we can allow them a minute or two to give us themselves.

So, rather than a knee jerk revulsion at an occasional partisan remark at this year’s Academy Awards, I ask that we all just enjoy the entertainment, cheer the winners, and be open to political expression that may diverge from our own. Just like we should do in real life.