American Celebrities should not Exploit Racism
whites and Asians, between different Asians as well as minorities in
China covered most frequently. But we should not forget that the
U.S., often considered the most tolerant society for foreigners of all
backgrounds, have its own occasion spurts of racial problems. Even as
the movements like by figures like Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez
are honored, the underlying reasons for such movements are not
alleviated but often exaggerated (with all the previous improvements
negated) as the downturn of American economy made people much more
wary of foreign incomers and domestic economic inequalities tied to
race.
Few years back, radio personality Don Imus' commentary regarding the
black female basketball players has once again brought to attention
the role of celebrities in the issue of race relations. While Imus
vigorous defend his innocence from using improper words to refer to
the players (by characterizing the comment simply as "accidental
misspeaking"), it is quite doubtful if his commentary contained any
consideration for his own publicity. In fact, the "misspoken words"
may have been deliberately uttered just so he can receive the media
exposure needed for people to recognize and remember him for a long
time.
Furthermore, when the past history of celebrity racism is researched,
it can be seen that the Imus case is unfortunately not at all unique
but is a trivial example in the continuous series of celebrity
publicity stunts involving outrageously racist comments. Not matter
how popular it is for celebrities to exploit ethnic differences for
their own profits and fame, it should be the role of these celebrities
to downplay ethnic strife in order to create a more harmonious and
peaceful society. Exploiting emotions for fame can certainly be
harmful in the long term…
The United States of America has always been a multicultural,
multiethnic country from its colonial days. Over its relatively short
history as a sovereign state, people of every color and all
backgrounds have landed on American soil and made their living. It is
inevitable that ethnic conflicts can suffice over time, resulting in
hatred and mutual insults that are often channeled through the media
by celebrities. However, today, it is extremely common for
celebrities and the media in general to pronounce and exaggerate
ethnic differences for their own benefits. Bring up the racial
differences repeatedly only serves to attract attention and publicity
by shocking the audience into disbelief in the celebrity's
insensibility.
At the same time, it is evident that racial commentaries also reopen
the past wounds of racial intolerance and degradations that are
thankfully no longer prevalent yet still humiliating and memorable for
the descendents of those who suffered under them. For example, in his
"Black Like You," John Strausbaugh admits that blackface, which is the
exaggerating and often inaccurate characterization of African
Americans as comedy, can enrage and mortify Americans of all
backgrounds. However, blackface would not be forgotten because it is
uncomfortable yet is still alive today.
Even though in principle, people despise indirect racism such as
blackface, in reality, none can refrain from enjoying such racism and
giving credit to their creators and performers because it is
inherently human nature for people to see others, in this case, the
people of other ethnicities, to be degraded verbally and physically
for them feel superior about themselves. Because of such attitude,
celebrities such as Dave Chappelle are using racial commentaries in
their popular jokes, allowing the continued existence of detrimental
stereotypes against almost all groups within the American society,
constantly causing tensions and conflicts among different groups as
the stereotypes are spread and carelessly uttered in public. Clearly,
the celebrities are using racial differences for profit and fame
despite their inherently divisive nature.
In contrary, it should definitely be the responsibility of the
celebrities to promote racial tolerance in the society to avoid many
of the ongoing potential conflicts in the American society today. The
suspicion of other races by every racial group in America can
effectively lead to open conflict and social divisions of United
States that can effectively and dramatically damage the political,
social, and economic structures of the country. As John Strausbaugh
implies with the discussion of the influence of blackface, American
society, because of its multinational origins, has no dominant
ethnicity.
Thus, any ethnic conflict that occurs in the United States can be
devastating and long-lasting. As the only group of people capable of
holding attention of the general public, celebrities must use their
unique position to prevent escalation of any kind of potential ethnic
conflict. Besides, it should be in the interest of the celebrities
themselves to maintain domestic peace in the United States, because,
after all, in times of widespread domestic violence and turmoil,
people would not have the mood or the spirit to seek entertainment
from them, leading to financial disasters on their part. All in all,
it should be the duty and personal interest of the celebrities to
ensure that there are very little conflicts among different
ethnicities in the country.
The commentary of Don Imus and many similar events of the past show
the inherently exploitative nature of the celebrities when dealing
with the issue of racial differences in the United States.
Considering that these celebrities generally have very high regard
from the American people and the success of the entertainment industry
depends upon the continuous stability of the society and prevention of
any kind of domestic conflicts that can change the peaceful status
quo, celebrities should change their exploitation of ethnic
differences and begin to soothe the divisive quality of the American
ethnic mosaic for both personal and societal benefits.
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