When two worlds collide – GulfToday
Egyptian singer Tamer Hosny
Although the two worlds of entertainment and politics orbit around different issues and are inhabited by people with somewhat different structures, they still tend to meet and intertwine in one way or another. Politicians have long been fascinated by the leading ladies of the silver screen who have created great stories about what happens when these two worlds collide.
We escape into the world of entertainment when we’re tired of being lost in the twisted maze of politics, but where do we go when we find the two become one? While in the past, the lives of celebrities were mostly mysterious to those outside of their world, today, thanks to tabloids and social media, that mystery has been dispelled.
Contrary to what many famous publicists will have you believe, celebrities are, and are, human beings. Some of them with political and social concerns have chosen to break their silence and engage in activism to fight for what they believe to be sacred. But this freedom of expression has a price.
When a celebrity rallies for a cause, they risk losing fans, as you might very well like the celebrity but hate their political stance. Therein lies the great sacrifice that famous people have to face, giving up their social responsibility knowing full well that they have a great platform from which they can be heard, or shut up for always for fear of losing the fame and money they worked so hard for. reach.
During the uprising in Egypt, the famous Egyptian singer Tamer Hosny was ostracized from Tahrir Square by the revolutionaries because they remembered that at the start of the rallies he had been sent by the government to advise them to return home. Hosny’s political stance reduced the voice of Egypt’s younger generation, which filled stages across the country, to a YouTube clip of the young man crying after being humiliated by the people of the revolution.
Meanwhile, as the people of Libya struggle to regain control of their destiny, American singers Nelly and Beyonce have been revealed to have been paid millions of dollars to attend one of Saif Al’s birthday parties. Islam Gaddafi.
Knowing full well the effect this political connection could have on their image, the two singers declared that they had nothing to do with the dictator’s money and returned it to the Libyan people.
Recently, Belgian singer Lara Fabian, who was scheduled to sing in Lebanon for this year’s Valentine’s Day concert, had to pull out due to an outcry from the Supporters of Israel Boycott Campaign in Lebanon, over of pro-Israel comments she had made.
American actor Mel Gibson and former Christian Dior token designer John Galliano both felt the wrath of fans when they were caught making anti-Jewish comments. The first had trouble getting one of his works produced in Hollywood and the second was immediately fired from his prestigious position at the Maison Dior.
This fan reaction to celebrities’ political backgrounds isn’t just for actors and singers, but applies to sports personalities as well. At the height of the protests in Bahrain, football players, who chose to take part in the rallies, were named and shamed on the local Bahrain TV channel, some even withdrew from the league as a result.
A work of art should be judged independently of its artist. Would a painting be as magnificent if we judged the hands that held the brush? Would a love poem be so passionate if we had the preconceived idea that its author was in fact cold and distant?
Most of us do not see this distinction.
We must realize that such diverse worlds as these exist in a gray universe, where the colors black and white are forever mixed together. The inhabitants of each should be aware that leaving their territories could entail risks that they might not be ready to take.
In the political world, your opinions and morality are meant to propel you to the heights of your cause, but in the world of entertainment, they might form the noose that wraps around your neck. The choice is theirs but they don’t pay the price alone, it is also paid by those who once appreciated the art within them and can no longer see it.