What Chappell Roan's Political Comments Reveal About the American Partisan System
Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, better known as Chappell Roan, has taken the music world by storm with her carefully crafted, massively popular, catchy tunes. The openly queer artist has consistently used her platform as a tool for activism, not shying from speaking about issues she is passionate about to her primarily young audience. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Chappell Roan explains how she turned down the White House's offer to perform at their Pride Celebration, remarking she did not want to be their "monkey for pride." Roan saw the White House's move as an effort to tokenize her identity, while President Joe Biden and those in power are not ruling justly and on behalf of oppressed groups. In that same interview, Roan notes that she considered going to the event and reading poetry by a Palestinian woman, highlighting the horrors inflicted on thousands of Palestinians in Israel's war against Hamas.
Chappell Roan's comments against the Biden administration were met with shock, as many believed she was making these comments because she supported Donald Trump instead. In response to these speculations regarding her political stance, Roan responded: "It is not so black and white that you hate one and you like the other." By refusing to be adamantly loyal to a particular party/leader, Roan was making a statement that one can criticize politicians' actions, even if one disagrees more with politicians' opponents. The media's depiction of politics as a game has bled into pop culture, as celebrities are now expected to act as figureheads to a particular party or cause. Since the interview, Chappell Roan has come out in support of Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency while emphasizing the importance of voting. Chappell Roan's statements reveal much of Gen Z's frustrations with politics, as these young are basing their choices on choosing the lesser of two evils. However, as Roan's future comments show, participation is still key, even if one is not entirely thrilled by their choice.
Sources:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chappell-roan-explain-turned-down-white-house-pride-invite-1235098090/
https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/chappell-roan-protest-white-house-pride-event-1235771207/
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-11-27/gen-z-college-partisanship-politics-moderates
I remember seeing Chappell Roan's comments on social media. The assumptions based on her criticism of the Biden administration says a lot about the black-and-white, polarized nature of social media.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think that as a generation, it is true that most of us have a mutual understanding that neither of the main candidates running in this election are ideal.
I truly respect Chappell Roan for standing her ground and not accepting President Biden's invitation to perform at the White House, because many celebrities in her situation would have caved. Roan has been outspoken on social media about her support for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza, one she has said America is complicit in. By denouncing both sides of the two-party system, she has made a powerful statement about what values she refuses to compromise on.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it was genuinely surprising to me how many people online took her rejection of Biden as an endorsement for Trump. I feel like even by knowing just a little bit about her and her brand, people would not assume she'd align with conservative values, but that just goes to show how polarized our country has become. A criticism of one party is not support for the other; Roan has criticized the actions of both parties throughout her career, and I'm sure she will continue to do so leading up to November.
I remembered seeing the debate about Chappell Roan's political comments on twitter, and the debate seemed to be split, some critics where saying Roan's indecisiveness about choosing between either candidate could be harmful as it could give off the impression of when you don't like either candidate you shouldn't vote. While other champion roan for advocating the practice of questioning all politicians even the ones you are voting for. Roan has now made a follow up video clarifying that she is not voting for trump, however she still doesn't endorse Harris etither.
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