Celebrity and Culpability
Hey, how's it going? It's been a helluva week, huh?
RIGHT UP TOP: Trigger warnings on this one. I am going to talk about the Israel-Hamas War. I'm going to talk about transphobia.
Now, as you may know, I'm not an expert in international geopolitics. I am not particularly well-versed in places that have long-standing cultural, religious, and racial tensions. I am an expert in some things that you probably read this blog for--comics, the general U.S. entertainment landscape, etc.--and on the occasional specific issue, often one that is on ballots or being discussed in Congress or that is otherwise in sort of focus, I do my best American John Oliver and try to deep dive into that issue with a lot of research and sourcing and a team (me) of professional writer.
And that's fine. People understand I'm not an expert. But we're in a weird place where there is an expectation of transparency in people's beliefs. If you are a fame-o of any stripe, your takes on moral, ethical, and political issues should be a matter of public record. There is value placed on being outspoken and being morally righteous, though the definition of that varies pretty wildly. There is a desire to hold the notable (some are rich and powerful, but there are plenty of rich people skating by out of the public eye too) accountable for their views. And that's an impulse I think has a lot of validity. I do want to know whether the person I have put my admiration toward has antithetical views to me or my loved ones' existence. I want to know if they've taken actions that are reprehensible and repugnant. Because I, like so many others, want them to be culpable--to take responsibility and hopefully to take corrective action. The flip side to all of this is that because that is the desire, a lot of people are showing their ass for better and for worse when they really didn't have to.
That's the rub I want to talk about today: the often rough intersection between wanting to make sure someone isn't monstrous and the problem of treating celebrities as icons of moralistic values when they're just people who can let you down.
The Israel-Hamas War: I'm Not an Expert
I am not an expert. My understanding of the situation is roughly a week ago, Hamas, a militant group with a hand in the Palestinian government, launched an attack on Israel. People were killed and taken hostage. In response, the Israeli government declared war on Hamas and has enacted war against Gaza--killing both members of Hamas, and plenty of civilians themselves. It is the latest struggle in a long-standing tension and often conflict of a geographic region that has been significantly changed within modern lifetimes. I will not act as an expert, and I can be empathetic to both sides that are mourning their dead because I truly inherently believe that both Israeli and Palestinian people have the right to live and have their human rights and thrive and self-determine.
I will list a few facts that are relevant and that I know to be true.
1. Some of the footage that is being shared is being misrepresented, if not outright is false--notably a number of videos being passed around on social media that are either video game footage or footage that is years old or from other conflicts.
2. The siege on Gaza is inhumane. Electricity, food, fuel, and increasingly internet are being cut-off as Gaza is isolated from the rest of the world. Medical and human rights groups are talking about how they were given no time or resources to evacuate civilians. More people in Gaza have been killed and injured--including children--than were killed or injured in the initial attack. And the Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said "We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly," which are not the words of someone recognizing the inherent humanity of so many stuck in this conflict.
3. This is the result of long-standing tensions--from the fallout of a war that happened in my parents' lifetime, from slow annexation, from increased recognition and normalization on an international stage, from policy being shooting missiles at Palestinian militants so regularly it's referred to as "mowing the lawn." And for as much as all of that is true, it is also something that globally, Jewish and Palestinian people have very different views on and relationships with.
4. There are of course criticisms to be leveled at both sides. I'm not denying that Hamas attacked first or that they have repressive policies of their own. But being able to level criticisms at both is just the flip-side of having empathy for both sides too.
But not everyone seems capable of doing that. Of professing that this is complicated and it is tragic and that it is tough to talk about when you are removed. SAG-AFTRA, who I still hope succeed in their strike, for some reason chose to issue a statement that did not acknowledge any Palestinian deaths. A number of SAG-AFTRA members have voiced their unwavering support for Israel--everything from saying America will always be on their side to sharing some of that false footage I mentioned above to liking, sharing, and otherwise engaging in that exact sort of dehumanizing rhetoric that Gallant was. At least one famous voice actress has been called out for liking Islamophobic and racist tweets.
I'm going to move on to the more general topic, but if you'd like to learn more about the current situation, this is a pretty straightforward explainer on what is happening now with lots of links to both Vox's other coverage, and coverage from other outlets.
What Does Culpability Look Like?
The celebrity response to this was is not an isolated incident. Think about how many celebrities have opened their mouths to say some dumb transphobic shit. Or about how I'm writing this on the 46th anniversary of when Anita Bryant got pied in the face for being a homophobe! As technology has changed our relationship with celebrity--as more people are able to achieve some level of notariety because they are more accessible to the world at large--we have had to deal with people sharing their views while not being experts or while being detractory and oppressive. And, generally speaking, we want people to take responsibility for that.
A lot of how we currently conceptualize that is "cancel culture." The idea that if you have a public persona and you have said/done something morally repugnant, you should lose your job/livelihood/platform/everything. It is also something that has been proven time and time again not to work as abusers and creeps and people who are just talking out of their asses are allowed to just sort of continue doing what they're doing. Sure, Alice Cooper lost a make-up brand deal, but dude's still on tour. If you're reading this blog, you probably hate J.K. for being a raging transphobe, but the latest of her Robert Galbraith books just came out a couple weeks ago and not like Harry Potter merch isn't starting to flood my local Target for "the holiday season."
And what you might want from each case is different. Maybe an apology and a nice sizable donation and a change in behavior going forward would be enough. Maybe more significant reparations are needed. Maybe the place to start is to take any degree of culpability--to accept you did something wrong--which is why I brought Tara Strong up earlier, a person who in response to the criticisms (and receipts) leveled at her changed her tune to this being an attack on her identity, instead of her attacking people for their identity. And I know some comics creators who have done similar--people who redirect the conversation from their exhibited behavior to "why they're being attacked."
It's frustrating. Of course it is. We want to like the people we like. We don't want them embroiled in scandal of any sort. And we certainly don't want to find out they are nasty or uncaring or dangerous. And there isn't a lot we can do about it, other than hope they change and can do something to move forward in a way that helps the people they've hurt, and to exercise that hope--that desire to see them do different and better--by withholding and withdrawing support. We also talk a lot about separating the art from the artist and the complexities of that, but it's just another part of this
conversation and while there are works I can enjoy despite the forces behind them, I think it's important to be aware of who is making the art you engage with.
I'm afraid I don't have a whole encompassing solution. It's not something that's easy to do. But I do think it's right to take the information you are given, to verify it (and it is so much easier when it is from the source), and to determine how you interact with that person and their work going forward.
That's it for now. I think I'm going to have a special blog on Wednesday, the 18th, so keep an eye out for that too!
What I enjoyed this week:
Blank Check (Podcast), Craig of the Creek (Cartoon), One Piece (Manga), Pokemon Violet (Video game), The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon (Book), Only Murders in the Building (TV show), Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links (Video game), Wipeout (TV show), Fight Club (Movie--I'm listening to Blank Check's current David Fincher series, so felt like a good time to rewatch), Last Week Tonight (TV show), Phantom of the Opera (Movie), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast)
New Releases this week (10/11/2023):
Sonic the Hedgehog #65 (Editor)
Sonic the Hedgehog Halloween Special (Editor)
Sonic the Hedgehog: Seasons of Chaos TPB (Editor)
Final Order Cut-Off next week (10/16/2023):
Brynmore #5 (Editor)
New Releases next week (10/18/2023):
No new books from me this week.
Announcements:
I'm still doing a member drive over on my Patreon! You can read about it in a public post there! If you join, renew, or updated to the Feature Fan ($10) tier or above, you're going to get a Mystery Comic Grab bag! And as a patron, you're going to have a bit more choice on what all it is! All the info is on there, so if you're curious, please do give it a look! And it'll be going through all October! Please support me! It's my birthday next week!
If the Patreon isn't your cup of tea at this time, or you wanna do more of a one-time donation, until my birthday on the 18th, I have 2-3 comic Mystery Bundles in my Ko-Fi store! I've yet to sell 1, so you could change that! Same premise as the Patreon--there'll be a bundle for grown ups and one for kids. They're pay what you want with a $15 minimum. If you send $25 or over, I'll ship you a trade paperback too!
It will be US only on both the Patreon and Ko-Fi just because shipping internationally's very expensive right now. But, for international folks, I will put together a nice little digital goods bundle for ya!
Wanna support me otherwise? I'm on Ebay and am going to be listing some new stuff soon, there's my webstore, or you can support Becca through their channels!
Pic of the Week:
I saw some good graffiti on a billboard this week!
