The Golden Globes and the Hypocrisy of Hollywood
The 77th Golden Globes Award ceremony has come and gone, as well as Ricky Gervais’s fifth and final time hosting the show. Gervais, an English comedian, was originally done with hosting the show after his fourth time, yet he stated that the show organizers, “...made an offer that I could not refuse.”
With Ricky Gervais hosting the award show, Hollywood had to prepare themselves for some off color jokes, all targeted at the stars attending and their celebrity peers. 2020 was no different when it came to Gervais’s edgy humor, where he took on the Hollywood elite once again sitting in front of him. Gervais’s targeted Felicity Huffman and the college scandal, as well as compared Joe Pesci to baby Yoda. Jokes aside, the theme of the eight minute monologue seemed to be all about Hollywood hypocrisy, and really took a dig at the streaming services we all love to use.
2019 was the year of streaming services, with Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, and of course Apple TV Plus, which Gervais highlighted in his monologue. “Apple roared into the TV game with The Morning Show… a superb drama about the importance of dignity and doing the right thing, made by a company that runs sweatshops in China.”
The stars sitting below the stage chuckled while exchanging awkward glances, as if not quite sure how to handle being called out.
Yet, it is the truth, and something that ‘woke’ Hollywood should be concerned about. The staff at these Chinese sweatshop factories are paid as little as a $1.12 an hour for wiping down phone screens and perfecting the signature Apple logo on the back of the devices during their 12 hour work shifts.
China Labor Watch, a non-profit organization, have accused Apple of cutting corners and have been continually investigating the complaints provided by the workers regarding exposure to toxic chemicals, forced labor, and verbal abuse. In 2010 there have been 18 reported suicide attempts as well as 14 confirmed deaths of sweatshop workers.
Many workers have even stated that the environments are not a good place for human beings. But even still, it seems that these horrors are pushed under the rug while Apple continues to sell millions of iPhones with every new launch, and celebrities such as Jennifer Anniston and Reese Whitherspoon will continue to work with the Apple streaming service
The English comedian continued with the dig, stating that Hollywood actors today consider themselves to be ‘woke’ or alert to injustices in society, yet would call up their agent for any role these companies had to offer. He jokingly questioned, “If ISIS started a streaming service, you’d call your agent, wouldn’t you?” He concluded his monologue with telling everyone in the audience to forget about the political acceptance speech, and to not lecture the public, as they, “...know nothing about the real world.”
Unsurprisingly, Ricky Gervais received backlash from critics for using the stage for, “right-wing talking points” and criticizing celebrities for, “trying to use their influence to change things for the better.” There have also been a stream of supporters as well such as Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld who congratulated Gervais for saying everything about the, “self-obsessed pile of pulsating flesh known as Hollywood.”
It was no surprise that this speech would turn into a political frenzy for both parties, but the idea of ‘woke’ Hollywood is also up for debate. Are they really as ‘woke’ as they claim to be, or are they following wherever the paycheck comes from?
Source: JuanG3D via Creative Commons