My first ever Rose Scholars table talk was one to remember– it was a small group call on Zoom with GRF Karina, and we discussed the tough question of whether entertainers really have a say in activism. I think we were all in agreement that social media almost forces entertainers/influencers to be activists because there is always pressure on them to “use their platform” to uplift those who are oppressed. And yes– they should! But at this point, it’s hard to know if the motive behind influencers being active on social media is to truly spread awareness and show support or to simply earn more people’s approval. With that said, who are we to try to make that judgment for ourselves? Let influencers influence! Let them do it in their own ways! If we want to see change, we should be the change– let us not put down celebrities for things that we ourselves may lack. I know I could be a much stronger advocate for my hurting brothers and sisters, so I think I would rather put my energy into supporting change than criticizing those who don’t. While we, insignificant students are Cornell, may not have the same platforms as people like Jeremy Lin, Demi Lovato, or BTS, we ought to do our best to make use of our own connections, our own privileges to make changes (little as they may seem) that brighten this world.

Two of my main topics of conversation and media consumption are entertainment and politics. In this Table Talk, I was able to easily combine both interests and engage in fun and insightful conversations involving the two of them. One of the most important discussion points established during the session was the difference between performative activism and real activism. In the age of social media, political commentary and information has been made much more accessible to the general public in ways never seen before. However, there are dangers to people claiming themselves as activists by simply sharing an Instagram story, or even requesting their favorite (non-political) celebrities to take public stances on certain topics. While celebrities discussing essential political issues with large platforms can be extremely informative, it can also be very dangerous if misinformation is spread instead. Looking on the bright side of things, platforms like Tiktok have made socio-political and cultural education more available to the masses, making it something much bigger than just an entertainment platform. For this reason, I would not advise people to stay away from social media, but rather to always fact check all the information they read and/or share with credible sources first.

Today, I joined a couple members of Rose to discuss the role celebrities play in political activism. We started by listening to the song “Give Peace a Chance” sung by John Legend. I had not heard this song before, but really enjoyed listening to it. We then delved into a conversation about whether celebrities should weigh into politics. We talked a lot about how today, celebrities are almost expected to speak out with regard to activism. Because of this, sometimes their words don’t always seem sincere and they seem to be doing it just to be accepted and not loose their fanbase. We also talked about whether artists should be “an escape from reality” or do they have the right to share their personal opinions? This question is a really interesting to think about. It was really nice talking in a small group and thinking about such an interesting topic!