The latest Hollywood cancellation has raised the usual hackles. But the problem is that a vacuum in virtuous authority is being filled by vacuous celebrities.
Gina Carano, a star in the Disney+ sensation The Mandalorian was fired from her role; had her spin-off show cancelled, and was dropped by her talent agency, after a social media post in which she compared America’s polarised politics with Nazi Germany.
Holocaust comparisons are particularly pernicious because they have the combined effect of downplaying a horrific, historical event, while exaggerating present-day concerns.
Our public discourse would be greatly improved if everyone stopped using Holocaust metaphors.
And leave aside the usual tired truism that, ‘private companies can hire and fire whomever they please’ — this does not come close to addressing the issue.
Actors, singers, directors, novelists, anyone in the entertainment industry, is there to do one thing: entertain. Why do we expect them to do anything outside this?
We seem to have imbued our entertainment class with a certain moral authority. We expect them to be thought leaders and to speak on important issues with the wisdom and rhetorical skill of Quintilian.
Interviews with celebrities will regularly delve into areas such as climate change, immigration policy, or myriad other topics.
Read the article by Monika Wilkie in The Spectator.