The theme of Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ forthcoming reality show ‘The Activist,’ which will also star Usher and Julianne Hough, has sparked controversy. Six activists will be pitted against each other in the reality show as they take on tasks to promote their causes.
The activists’ success will be measured by online engagement, social metrics, and celebrity host feedback.
Priyanka and the other two judges received a blowback by many celebrities and Twitter users for turning activism into a game show.
The good news is that no actual activists would be caught dead on this show. https://t.co/V2iW8AKQMm
— fatima bhutto (@fbhutto) September 9, 2021
I’m confused: Is this an advanced Marxist critique to expose how competition for money and attention pits activists against each other + undermines deep change?
— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) September 9, 2021
Or just the end of the world?
https://t.co/zyjLUMUPaP
“The perfect way to undermine the work of activists does’t exis—” https://t.co/YzMWZiHwML
— RAFAEL CASAL (@RafaelCasal) September 10, 2021
The reason dystopian stories can be uncanny is that we know that they can be real. They just often precede reality.
— joey ayoub #AbolishKafala (@joeyayoub) September 10, 2021
Such obscene shows make total sense in a disconnected, elite world where activists are nothing more than enterpreneurs-to-be. It’s dehumanising. https://t.co/HYKdVw82uS
I’ll take a guess: People who would like to compare their zeal for their own pet causes to the zeal of others so they can feel a sense of satisfaction that they care more about important stuff than the people on their TV.
— Professor Dalrymple (@ProfDalrymple) September 10, 2021
what is global citizen, what do they do, how do they have every celebrity on lock like this https://t.co/csPp2ylMP4
— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) September 9, 2021
“the activist” and this is deadass one of the hosts? https://t.co/aNji3CCEl2 pic.twitter.com/YSlRJ4lDX7
— rose SKY DAY (@russodelos) September 9, 2021
A little on how The Activist show sounds like PEAK neoliberalism and we all should be concerned. pic.twitter.com/LJx0plqivu
— Wagatwe Wanjuki 🇰🇪 🇧🇸 (@wagatwe) September 10, 2021
Global Citizen is an astroturf NGO that primarily exists to direct resources and media attention away from actual activists into safe, pro capitalist pseudo solutions based on “charity”. They’re funded by the IMF, World Bank, Bill Gates, Google, Coca Cola, CitiBank, Unilever, etc https://t.co/fHFsh1j2ns
— Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) September 10, 2021
Couldn’t they just give the money it’s going to take to pay this UNBELIEVABLY expensive talent and make this show, directly to activist causes? Rather than turning activism into a game and then giving a fraction of the much needed money away in a “prize…?” People are dying. https://t.co/GLCUZcGgfb
— Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@jameelajamil) September 10, 2021
like yea using activism as a competition where it is funneled into social media influence is absolutely abhorrent and completely dilutes the importance and impacts of organizing and grassroots effors but also remember when priyanka chopra asked an activist if she was done venting https://t.co/EHtOICdXc4
— myesha thee stallion (@myeshachou) September 9, 2021
they’ve turned activism…. into a game show?
— sam🤍 (@thesammg) September 9, 2021
Pleased to announce I’ll be on the debut season of “The Activist,” working against my fellow activists to be the best activist, with Usher as my mentor.
— micah #StopCopCity (@micahherskind) September 10, 2021
A better world is possible, we just have to be willing to duel with other activists to the death, for entertainment!
Yeah it would be terrible to make activists satisfy an arbitrary set of metrics to please a disconnected set of wealthy people who control the funding https://t.co/1sXi1X62Yo
— Kate Aronoff (@KateAronoff) September 10, 2021
My top picks for The Activist season 1 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 pic.twitter.com/xdenUVekLN
— zulli (@usernotfound63) September 10, 2021
Brought to you by the same people that dreamed up Kendall Jenner giving riot cops a Pepsi….
— Alejandro Villegas (@thecorpmex) September 9, 2021
As activists are jailed, maimed and killed around the world, this is grotesque. https://t.co/7Sdu9IdLzy
— Yuen Chan (@xinwenxiaojie) September 10, 2021
waiting for it to be cancelled before they start production
— ana 🎈 (@analaurandb) September 9, 2021
What's the difference between this and an "activist" being in a paid Cadillac commercial, multiple reality TV shows, or a Grammy performance https://t.co/Srj9tif7TN
— Comorienne 🇰🇲 (@_ShamGod) September 9, 2021
This is just so incredibly bleak https://t.co/eTsr3JVbfT
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) September 9, 2021
Much of this energy should be focused on:
— Raymond Paultre (@RayPaultre) September 9, 2021
1. Supporting local orgs
2. Using that sweet movie money to fund local orgs
3. THE CALIFORNIA RECALL 🔥🔥🔥
4. Bringing attention to redistricting
5. Voter suppression and disinformation
