Maritimers weigh in on whether celebrities should speak out about political issues

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime show was as much about the music as it was about the message.

It was a Super Bowl half-time show that made a statement and, on Monday, Bad Bunny’s performance at had plenty of people talking.

“I enjoyed it. It was cool. I liked all the representation they had,” said Sydney, N.S., resident Taylor Sylvester.

“There was a lot of symbolism, especially when Bad Bunny presented the trophy to the little one,” added fellow Cape Bretoner John Summerell.

It’s not unusual for celebrities to use a platform like Super Bowl LX to weigh in politically.

Nicki Minaj regularly takes to social media with her support for United States President Donald Trump.

Other times, it’s athletes who speak out.

Jamie Gillies, a professor of communications and public policy at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, talks about this sort of thing regularly with his students.

“I think celebrities are torn between the traditional ‘Just shut up and sing,’ or using that platform to relay a political and social message,” Gillies said.

Gillies said to look no further than The Chicks two decades ago as an example of how difficult that choice can be.

“Natalie Maines takes a stand against George W. Bush and The Chicks are basically banned from country radio,” he pointed out, adding the band has since enjoyed a rebirth.

Gillies noted Bad Bunny has received plenty of criticism for highlighting the economic and social conditions in his native Puerto Rico, while Green Day – a band with a long history of speaking out politically – has also been criticized for staying quiet and simply playing the hits.

“There’s lots of pressures on them not to do this, and then there’s sort of an equal pressure, especially in the social media environment which we’re in, where fans are looking to them as role modelsm,” Gillies said.

Then there were strong words from Billie Eilish two weekends ago at the Grammys, when the singer spoke out against ICE operations by saying “No one is illegal on stolen land.”

Eilish’s message resonated with Mi’kmaq educator Jarvis Googoo.

“When they spread good messages of no one is illegal, everyone is welcome, love is love, no place for hate, Black lives matter, so on and so forth, to me it’s uplifting and it’s inspiring,” Googoo said.

So, do people on the street think celebrities should continue to use their voice like this?

“Yeah, I think they should use the platform they have,”, Sylvester said.

“If you’re a celebrity, people will pay attention and listen to what you have to say,” Summerell added.