In our current political climate it can become easy to think that – at some point – our fight against the powers that be is getting nowhere. That all the organized protests and demonstrations have been for nothing. However, of course they count for something, because this fight has to be fought hard and long. Action provokes reaction.
Social media, as well as media coverage on TV and news channels, has never been more important (or indeed necessary) than it is right now. When you post or comment your thoughts on world events on public platforms, so do the celebrities that you might watch, follow, or read of. Here are five celebrities who I think use, or have previously used, media platforms to react against the mad events happening around the world at the minute, and do so for the greater good.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
This man’s Twitter feed is a gold mine of inspirational quotes, funny retweets and even snippets of his personal life on a good day. However, as evidenced by his avid tweeting during the Women’s March, and his general attitude that the world doesn’t necessarily have to change due to certain elections or decisions, amongst the lightheartedness it’s clear that this man is pretty involved in the fight. Playing Alexander Hamilton on stage for a few years might do that to a person.
Ellen DeGeneres
This one should be self-explanatory to anyone who doesn’t live under a rock. On her talk show and social media, Ellen puts out tongue-in-cheek comments on the daily goings-on around the world, and the political events that have happened so far. Her take on President Trump’s Travel Ban using the characters from her movie Finding Dory is amazing, especially when you realize that this was movie chosen for Trump’s first White House film screening.
Meryl Streep
Some people don’t like or watch award shows, I totally get it, but Meryl Streep’s impassioned speech when she accepted the Cecil. B. DeMille award at this year’s Golden Globes had to be heard, if not seen. The arts are important to this world, as she demonstrated, and no President can change that. In this, she used her position as one of Hollywood’s best actresses to her advantage, and proved that even the most well-known celebs are aware of the power of the media.
J.K.Rowling
While not American like the others on this list, J.K.Rowling uses Twitter as a reaction platform like anyone else, and – due to her huge amount of Twitter followers – you can be sure that what she says shall be heard. The title picture shows her tweet after Brexit in June of last year, and the screenshot above has to be imagined with a mic drop. She constantly comments on current events, and has occasionally been called out for being too opinionated, but we love her too much to criticise.
Judd Apatow
This final celebrity is a bit more obscure than the other four, but Judd Apatow has made no secret of his disapproval of the current political situation in the U.S. His Twitter. While he’s maybe not as popular as some celebrities, he presents a view that will no doubt last the length of Trump’s presidency, and his twitter responses to the election itself sums up everything we’re already thinking.
The media being used as a reaction platform is important now more than ever, because how else will all these reactions be transmitted worlwide? How else will potential solutions and support systems be found? These celebs have managed to combine their media savviness and celebrity status to join the fight against hatred. I hope they inspire you to do so as well.