The Privilege of Ignorance: Are we dehumanized to issues that don’t affect us?
By: Jovanca Aurelia
Recently, actress Blake Lively has been accused of having a dismissive attitude towards domestic violence amid the It Ends With Us press tour. Centered around themes of emotional manipulation and physical abuse, It Ends With Us is a novel that gained attraction for its candid depictions of dysfunctional relationships. Lively is cast as the leading role and has attempted to promote the movie, but her marketing strategies have been far from stellar. Instead of acknowledging the book’s darker themes, her promotion involves a quip about the movie being perfect for a fun girls’ night, hosting themed events with cocktails from her beverage company, and focusing on the film’s styling over its serious themes.
Hate comments, dislikes, and unfollows. In a digital age where we are encouraged to be outspoken and embrace our individuality, it’s no surprise that people post or comment without much consideration. There are several reasons for this: the increase in stress, the oversaturation of negative news, and the ease of sharing thoughts online–leading to desensitization to issues that don’t affect us.
However, what about those living on the other side of the spectrum? Those that live in glamor, fuss over “champagne problems”, and are fed with a silver spoon? Fame and privilege often go hand-in-hand in contributing to one’s impeding empathy; the upper classes are notorious for their out-of-touch ways of life and disregard for real-world issues. A classic example of this is celebrities: A-listers are accused of their ignorance of important matters and only show care for commercial gain.
In a TikTok promoting the movie, Lively says to “grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it!” In one of her interviews, a journalist asked her about the movie’s sensitive themes and how it may inspire victims of domestic violence to speak up. Lively dismisses the question as a joke by stating that she’s not sharing her location or phone number with those viewers. From this alone, it is evident that Lively reduces the movie’s sensitive themes to another film to watch on a celebratory girls’ night.
Lively’s controversy represents a more complex issue of how we’ve grown dehumanized by matters that don’t affect us. For those in the upper classes, wealth and status decrease feelings of compassion as if it gives them a sense of freedom and consequently, a lack of responsibility. However, this issue extends beyond those individuals living on a pedestal; younger generations are experiencing an “empathy deficit” due to a shift towards a more dismissive lifestyle. Everyone varies in socioeconomic status, fame, and privilege, and thus the reasons for our lack of compassion may not be the same. But one thing is certain: we now make less conscious efforts to practice empathy.