located: | USA |
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editor: | Shira Jeczmien |
Since giving her speech at the Golden Globe awards on Sunday night, Oprah Winfrey, America’s self-made billionaire-cum-neoliberalist-guru, has been trending across social media platforms with the hashtags #Oprah2020 and #OprahforPresident. In case you missed why the talk show host, Oscar nominated and multiple award winning celebrity is suddenly in the fictitious electoral campaign for the 2020 US elections, alongside Kanye West and many other hopefuls, I’ll catch you up to speed.
Upon receiving the Cecil B. deMille award for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment”, Oprah gave what can only be described as a motivational speech of mediocracy – at best. She spoke out against the gender inequality and sexual harassment that is still rife within our world today; present across all professions, ages, demographics and cultures. Indeed such a speech was expected (if not demanded) of a politically and socially engaged woman such as Oprah, of that there is no arguing. She has a role to play: her brand is carried across each of her public appearances and her words are loved as well as appreciated across the country – her words make a difference. What was particularly disturbing, however, was not the speech itself, but the desperation with which a voice of reason is craved – any voice of reason – and tagged worthy of political authority. The separation between celebrity idol, spiritual guru, and politically qualified is no longer present.
The US has the privilege of having its worldwide entertainment moguls shine light on some of the most pressing issues within the country – and that in itself is a powerful tool. Yet I couldn’t stop myself from wondering: where are the powerful, world watched women speaking up for the incessant rape going on in The Congo, or the repression of women in Afghanistan, where restoring the woman's first name back into the family is a daily struggle – #whereismyname. Or the infinite other stories and struggles of the voiceless, nameless women around the world.
Have we become so disillusioned by our political landscape that watching multi millionaires clap to the humming sounds of “equal pay, equal pay, time is up, time is up” sparks inspiration in us? I am aware that equal pay, of course, spans across all ranges of salaries and positions, but have we forgotten about the pay gap between our newly found preachers and the rest of ‘us’? When the President of the United States is worth $3.1 billion, it can become hard to distinguish between business and political leadership; between entrepreneur and politician; between celebrity and preacher. But we really must try.
We have learnt the hard way that media buzz together with political entertainment are a dangerous concussion to digest. We all laughed when Trump announced his running for Presidency, and we continued to do so until he swore oath into office. Let’s be a little wiser this time around.