‘Dog Stars’ Actor, Rocker Demand ‘Concrete Action’ for Palestinians

Virtue Signal: “The sharing of one’s point of view on a social or political issue, often on social media, in order to garner praise or acknowledgment of one’s righteousness from others who share that point of view, or to passively rebuke those who do not.” (Dictionary.com)

And nobody does it better than celebrities.

Name a progressive cause and, chances are, actors have spoken out on the issue. That conversation typically lacks teeth. While some stars give generously to their cause du jour, others simply spout off, assuming their words will carry.

They don’t. Just ask Kamala Harris.

HUGE BREAKING: Mere moments after the end of the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris from her Instagram account!

Swift, whose Instagram account has a staggering 284 million followers, was angered upon learning that Trump had… pic.twitter.com/Z08aB6hR91

— Really American (@ReallyAmerican1) September 11, 2024

The latest example of celebrity virtue signaling is particularly humorous on the surface. Dig deeper, though, and it’s far from funny.

Several prominent artists are demanding that this year’s Venice Film Festival take “concrete action” against the so-called genocide in Gaza.

Signatories to the open letter include actor Guy Pearce, author Annie Ernaux and Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters. A similar effort took place at last year’s festival, and even the far-Left Hollywood Reporter admitted it had “no tangible results.”

To be fair, it’s a film festival, not a government body. And, of course, the “genocide” label is pure fiction.

So there’s that.

Here is part of their request:

The exceptional nature of the historical moment we live in requires us to isolate Israel diplomatically, culturally, and economically. The boycott, as a tool to pressure institutions and as a form of resistance (responding to the call launched in 2005 by Palestinian civil society through PACBI and BDS*), does not target identity as such but rather acts precisely on the mechanisms of complicity.

Still, the latest attempt to hijack a film festival for a perceived good is beyond absurd. The creative types assembled for the festival have no specific skill set or clout to affect international change. No one voted for them or asked the organization to serve as an international law division.

More importantly, these stars and starlets did nothing when Gaza terrorists stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, raping and slaughtering everyone in their path.

Men. Women. Children.

We didn’t see Pearce or Waters demand “concrete action’ following those atrocities. 

Pearce’s comments won’t hurt his latest film, “The Dog Stars.” It’s already tanking in theaters, and the tepid reviews likely won’t result in a word-of-mouth rebound.

Waters has been branded an antisemite repeatedly over the years, even by his former bandmate. The rock legend denies all charges, saying his criticisms target Israel, not the Jewish people.

The open letter may already be failing. The Venice Film Festival just canceled a pre-event press conference for the first time in decades.