Planned Parenthood recently launched a new campaign, with the help of celebrity musicians, to get out the vote in six Midwestern and conservative states. The full-page ad is called “We Need Every Vote” and was signed by hundreds of musical artists.
According to The Rolling Stones, some of the noted musicians who supported the campaign includes the Beastie Boys, the Breeders, the Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks), St. Vincent, Queens of the Stone Age, Phoebe Bridgers, Angel Olsen, Bright Eyes, Kacey Musgraves, Carly Rae Jepsen, Katy Perry and others.
The ad reads in part, “Together, Our Voices have power. United, our voices can change the direction of this country. Voting shapes our lives and has lasting effects. After the rushed confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, in the midst of a pandemic, we now face a Supreme Court that puts our health and freedoms, including our right to safe and legal abortion, at extreme risk. The damage already inflicted on our country will last for generations. We can’t afford any further assaults on our reproductive freedom—our right to control our bodies. We need your voice.”
The celebrities all sign “in solidarity.”
If Planned Parenthood thinks this celebrity-endorsed ad will have much impact, it’s sadly mistaken. In fact, it seems like the abortion business, which prides itself on being the voice of women, has gotten a little too comfortable inside the celebrity bubble and is becoming out of touch with the general public.
Throughout the pandemic, people are generally beyond frustrated and annoyed with sanctimonious celebrities in their multimillion-dollar mansions telling people how to live their lives and who to vote for.
There are a variety of articles recently published about how COVID may have done permanent damage to celebrity culture.
The New York Times was one of the first publications to identify how attempts by celebrities to identify with the common man during the pandemic were beginning to wear thin. “Among the social impacts of the coronavirus is its swift dismantling of the cult of celebrity. The famous are ambassadors of the meritocracy; they represent the American pursuit of wealth through talent, charm and hard work. But the dream of class mobility dissipates when society locks down, the economy stalls, the death count mounts and everyone’s future is frozen inside their own crowded apartment or palatial mansion. The difference between the two has never been more obvious. The #guillotine2020 hashtag is jumping. As grocery aisles turn bare, some have suggested that perhaps they ought to eat the rich.”
The BBC ran an article stating, “Just as the history books will consider the time before and after COVID-19, scholars of pop culture will likely divide their studies into pre- and post- Gal Gadot’s ill-fated ‘Imagine’ video. Whatever her intentions, back in March, Wonder Woman left most people wondering why any of us would want to watch a baffling line-up of celebrities, very few of whom were musicians, warbling along to a 50-year-old song, with seemingly no inkling that lyrics calling for unity might ring a little empty when crooned from enormous mansions. It was tone-deaf in more ways than one.”
The Daily Citizen covered that cringe-worthy video earlier this year.
Instead of inspiring voter turnout, it’s likely that Planned Parenthood is just reminding people about how irritating it is to listen to the uber-rich and privileged individuals argue from their gilded mansions that they know best.
One person who didn’t sign was Kanye West. The controversial rapper is increasingly using his platform to denounce Planned Parenthood and abortion’s impact on African Americans.
In a recent interview, West said, “We have to decouple the conversation of Planned Parenthood and women’s choice…There were 210,000 deaths due to COVID in America. Everywhere you go, you see someone with a mask on. With A, the A word, A culture — I’ll say it one time, with abortion culture — there are 1,000 Black children aborted a day. Daily. We are in genocide. More Black children since February than people have died of COVID. And everyone wears a mask. So it’s a matter of where are we turning a blind eye to?”
If celebrities really want to have an impact, perhaps they should really investigate the organization they’re endorsing.
Photo from Mhabille Sophie/ABACA
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