PR Found in Entertainers Choosing a Political Side

In the middle of awards season in Hollywood, there’s been a lot of political side-taking going on. It started long before the Golden Globes and Meryl Streep’s Lifetime Achievement much viewed acceptance speech and pointing a beautifully manicured and accessorized finger or two at the current administration. She was called brave and heralded by her peers, but others, many even in the entertainment industry didn’t see it as courageous at all, saying they couldn’t see anything brave about saying something in front of a group who largely agreed with everything she had to say.

Then came the Grammys, there were plenty of similar comments to the ones issued by Ms. Streep there too, but on the red carpet, one of the biggest statements was made in simply wearing a beautiful blue and white dress that wore the statement …. “Make America Great Again” and “Trump.” The Grammys are known for a more edgy approach in the attire worn, but a conservative edge may not have been what anyone was banking on. Joy Villa wore the gown beautifully, and it was designed by a designer who happens to hail from the liberal side of the isle. Her record sales soared the next day, beyond her wildest beliefs, but there could be huge career problems down the road for her choice.

And then came the Oscars. Well, actually there were threats of no Oscars this year in protest. Many entertainers said they felt that until Donald J. Trump was no longer President, they would forego the Oscars, many “common folk” across the country, chuckled and said, go ahead. But they also thought it was just foolish talk, what pressure did they really think they could bring about by skipping their big awards night. Nothing to do with politics!

So instead, the Oscars went forward – like most people believed they would anyway. However, did they go forward and leave politics behind … um … no. In fact, ABC and others mentioned it contained the most political speeches, skits, and even an intention faux pas or two.

For those not nominated or speaking, they could also join in the protests by wearing a blue ribbon … no, that ribbon isn’t for the men in blue who protect our nation, but for the ACLU in their battle against the President.

In a nation being torn apart by opposing views, violence, bullying, and hate speech, Jimmy Kimmel opened the Oscars by saying: “reach out to one person you disagree with and have a positive conversation….” Unfortunately, with all the stands being taken, there’s almost no room for actual conversation.

It might be suggested that sharing your political views is not a bad thing, but refraining from telling people that disagree that they are stupid, idiots, tyrants, bigots, or otherwise, doesn’t make for a positive discussion – no matter what side you stand.