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Charitable work and million-dollar donations but also lack of sensitivity and traces of denial. This has been the response to the famous pandemic, who with lights and shadows showed that the crisis was not going to affect everyone equally.
It is clear that celebrities enjoy useful privileges for a pandemic: huge houses to pass confinement, a bank account that is proof of lack of work or high-quality health coverage. The fundamental difference was between those who used their privileges to help others versus those who could not see or ignored reality.
One of the best examples of how a Hollywood star can have a clear social impact is Sean Penn. Known for being one of the actors most committed to activism, the double Oscar winner (Mystical river, 2003, and Milk, 2008) opened several booths in late March in Los Angeles to offer free coronavirus tests, when getting those tests was almost impossible. Through its CORE foundation, Penn expanded the program to other parts of the United States; in total, more than 3.3 million tests were provided, according to the CORE website.
“I’m an atheist 23 hours a day,” Penn told GQ magazine when asked why he decided to turn against the pandemic. “But I can connect with this idea of what we are supposed to be doing here, since … if not we are just wandering aimlessly.”
In recent months, a common claim to celebrities from social networks is that they put aside their messages of solidarity and dedicate part of their fortunes to fight the pandemic. Many celebrities got the idea.
For example, Oprah Winfrey donated $ 10 million to charitable organizations providing food to those affected by the pandemic, while Rihanna gave five million to different causes against the coronavirus. They also contributed Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively y George Clooney among others. Although perhaps the most media was that of the singer Dolly Parton, whose million dollars for the Vanderbilt University Medical Center It was very helpful in the development of the Modern Pharma vaccine.
“Covid-19 is not concerned with how rich, famous, funny or smart you are, where you live, how old you are or the incredible stories you can tell. Covid-19 is the great equalizer, ”he said Madonna in a video and was highly criticized for this message, as it appeared in her splendid home, taking a bath and with petals floating in the water.
She was not the only one unaware of her privileges. TO Ellen DeGeneres A joke he made in a clip from his mansion was ugly: “Being in quarantine is like being in jail, especially since I have worn the same clothes for ten days and here everyone is gay.” The key? The context.
The same happened with the March video in which Gal Gadot recruited a constellation of stars (Amy Adams, Mark Ruffalo, Will Ferrell, Natalie Portman and so on) to interpret “Imagine” by John Lennon, while much of society did not have time to sing since they were concerned about their health or their work. Much ambivalence.
Those who denied the pandemic
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Beyond the possibly unintentional stumbling blocks, some celebrities defended more dangerous attitudes by embracing denialism or conspiracies around the coronavirus. A notable example was that of Miguel Bosé, which from the networks shared different slogans, each more absurd, about the supposed hidden truth behind the pandemic. Van Morrison he did not stay behind and published songs against confinement and the use of masks, one of them, “Stand and Deliver“, beside Eric Clapton. The two musicians are 75 years old, that is, they are a population at risk.
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