Grammy Awards: what was the message?
Several winners at the Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday used their acceptance speeches to criticise the actions of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE and to make other political statements. Afterwards, US President Donald Trump described the event as "garbage" and announced that he would be taking legal action against its presenter.
Voices that carry weight
Celebrities have a special responsibility, taz stresses:
“People are barricading themselves in their homes, children are not being sent to school. It's only logical that those who have a voice should make use of it. In times of increasing fascism we need art not just for escapism and as a coping strategy; we also need artists to use their voice to speak out against what is happening. And not just because it annoys Trump, as was the case at the Grammy Awards, but because their voices carry weight. They are heard and resonate, giving a voice to those who are afraid to speak out.”
Musicians more courageous
La Repubblica draws a comparison:
“While the film world was less vocal about the abuses committed by federal immigration agents, ICE and the border police on Golden Globes night, the music industry used its main event of the year to launch a frontal attack on the president. And this was not a case of celebrity posturing. Music has always been an expression of counterculture in America. Bob Dylan sang against the Vietnam War, Nina Simone against racism, Bruce Springsteen gave a voice to a wounded America. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, alias Bad Bunny, has become the symbol of anti-Trump America. The Grammy Awards in Los Angeles crowned him and thus kicked off the week leading up to the Super Bowl, which could open up a new front.”
Trump's weak spot
Trump seems to be particularly sensitive on the subject of Epstein, La Vanguardia notes:
“Bad Bunny enjoyed his moment of glory after accepting the Grammy for Album of the Year for his Spanish-language work. His speech received millions of views and likes: 'ICE out! We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens ... we're humans and we're Americans.' ... Donald Trump appears unmoved by the criticism of his anti-immigration policy. The only thing that makes him jump is when he is associated with the paedophile Epstein. The president is threatening Trevor Noah with a million-dollar lawsuit over his joke about the island of horrors.”