Performative activism: From Tinseltown to the Halls of Ivy

Published March 7, 2023 9:29am ET




Hollywood has traditionally been a pulpit for performative activism, where celebrities deliver political sermons and broadcast their virtue by endorsing causes in a manner that requires nothing more than talk. The biggest surprise at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony will be if no one onstage demands more equity and inclusion in movies, denounces white male privilege, delivers a lecture on police brutality, or declines to accept an Oscar, declaring the muscular, sword-wielding statuette an obvious symbol of heteronormative male supremacy.

Already a print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.