Scream: Barrera’s blunder

When I told you about Scream VI, I concluded by telling you that Scream VII was in the works, even if we didn’t know when it would be released because of the strike that hit Hollywood. The project has just taken a turn for the worse again with the stupidity of one of its main actresses.

Barrera sidelined from Scream franchise

It’s Bloody Disgusting that tells us: Melissa Barrera has been rejected from filming. Taking information from the Hollywood Reporter, the webzine specializing in horror cinema explains to us that the actress was thanked because of her posts on Instagram.

According to a Twitter account that has compiled a lot of Melissa Barrera’s posts, the actress did not just make a few messages, but a litany of content on the current situation in the Middle East.

Going so far as to draw a parallel to which we were not at all prepared, she said she understood how the Palestinians felt, because she too came from a colonized country, Mexico. Beyond the stupidity of the comparison, we frankly doubt that Melissa Barrera has bothered to check all the content she has shared in her Instagram stories. There are far too many of them.

The stars, no more educated than the others

As soon as the news broke, Internet users went wild, with an impressive amount of anti-Semitic comments, which we will not transcribe here. They call for a boycott of the film and circulate a petition for her to be reinstated in the cast of the production. For its part, Spyglass, the company that manages the franchise, issued a press release saying that they had no tolerance for anti-Semitism, false references to genocide, etc.

As surprising as it may seem, I understand Spyglass’ reaction and I would even go further: I am fed up with artists or people in the entertainment industry who feel obliged to take a position in the political debate in the very broad sense. Not that they don’t have the right to freedom of expression like any other citizen. But, when an artistic personality expresses himself and takes a position, he drags in his wake a lot of people. Acting in movies or singing songs does not make them more enlightened or better informed people than the average person. We have proof of this with Melissa Barrera because to compare Mexico and Palestine, you have to have taken a hell of a lot of history classes.

Without even looking at the conflict in the Middle East, it is enough to remember the absolutely delusional words of some French movie stars during the COVID epidemic. Juliette Binoche had been delirious to the top of her lungs.

Vicious circle

If, on my personal Twitter account, I take a position that turns out to be an ass, my toxicity index will not be the same as a personality from the entertainment world. We’re going to put me in my place and it’ll probably end there. When a popular personality takes a position, he mechanically drags people en masse. Now, in the period we are currently experiencing, we don’t need people to add fuel to the fire.

It is all the more trap because there are two pitfalls when a personality from the world of entertainment takes a stand. First, we’re going to ask him to speak on other topics. We can see it very well in France: politicians, usually from the far-right, use it on TV sets “why [insérer une personnalité] did not take a stand? ». Even the Interior Minister is playing this fool’s game.

The other pitfall is that they are taking the place of the politicians by doing this. However, and again, as we can see very clearly in France, politicians are expected to take positions, if possible informed, on given themes. We also take the place of scholars, field journalists, etc.

For a separation between the world of entertainment and politics

In the same way that I am for a strict separation between Church and state, I am for a strict separation between the world of entertainment and politics. Especially since, as an artist, a personality from the world of entertainment has a range of tools to express his point of view. A writer is going to write. An actor can shoot committed films, choose underground productions. A singer can write texts and melodies. Or even more basic, personalities from the world of entertainment can financially support causes that are close to their hearts.

There remains the case of comedians, who are at the border insofar as a certain number of them are paid to make jokes every day and they need the news to find inspiration. With more or less relevance in some cases. The reality is that few are the ones who just touch most of the time.

In the case of Melissa Barrera, I think it’s stupid to throw away a promising career in the United States and I advise her to go back to history class. She’s going to have some time now.