Act Four: The one thing the entertainment industry must do in the Trump era

The entertainment industry can't turn a blind eye to misconduct and lack of diversity and expect to be a credible critic.   Alyssa Rosenberg on culture and politics   Scarlett Johansson, right, stands with groups during the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday. (Amanda Voisard for The Post) Every week, I answer a question from the previous Monday’s Act Four Live chat in the Wednesday edition of this newsletter. You can read the transcript of the Jan. 23 chat here, and submit questions for the Jan. 30 chat (which will be the last for a while, since I’m traveling for much of February) here. This week, a reader struggles with the role of the arts in a Trump administration, a theme I suspect we’ll be returning to repeatedly. This has been a topic of discussion since the election, and you’ve probably talked about it before, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the purpose and value of entertainment. Do you think entertainers have an obligation to address politics directly in their art? Does escapism have a place in art at times like this? Is it more important to strive for diversity or to reflect real life inequities? And then, there’s the concern that celebrities and Hollywood people will claim to be combating bigotry and discrimination while ignoring the problems that persist in their own industry. So basically, how do you think art should change (if at all) during the current administration? And how do you think it *will* change? Because I hesitate to be too prescriptive when it comes to the arts, I’m going to start at the end of this question, and with the one thing I’m very comfortable saying that the entertainment industry absolutely should do in the wake of Donald Trump’s election. The “Access Hollywood” tape should be an opportunity for the entertainment industry to do some exceedingly thorough self-examination about the way it approaches sexual harassment and assault; its policies and procedures for preventing such behavior in professional settings; and the standards it sets for someone to make recompense after being accused or convicted of sexual misconduct. When Trump said “they let you do it,” he meant the women he grabbed. But the real “they” is executives who tolerate misconduct, harassment and assault. Every moment they continue to do so is a moment that Hollywood’s credibility on these issues wanes. Even if it’s fear of hypocrisy rather than decency that prompts an overdue cleanup, it’s time. ADVERTISEMENT   I think the same is true on questions of equity of opportunity. The entertainment industry press should be prepared to ask any Hollywood executives who complain about the lack of diversity in Trump’s administration person how they’re managing their company and their projects any differently. It has taken those executives a long time to come up with fig leaves when they’re asked about these issues even in the absence of a conflict with their stated political beliefs. I don’t know how much shame folks are capable of feeling, but maybe this political moment will turn up the heat a bit more. On the question of what kind of work artists should do, my answer is basically “all of it.” Artists who feel drawn to political work should do it. Artists who want to make things that are purely beautiful in an ugly time should do that, too. As the Trump administration tries to revive that old Republican sawhorse of eliminating federal arts programs, folks should continue to try to make sure that art and arts education, whatever they look like, remain accessible. I think we’re going to need all the art we can get over the next four years, and the bigger the variety, the better.   The Women’s March served notice that pop culture still has political power From funny signs to speeches that expanded the parameters of debate, pop culture gave protesters the language they needed to express themselves. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   How the Oscars learned to stop worrying and love Mel Gibson Gibson didn't apologize. He just took criticism and kept making good work. By Sonny Bunch  •  Read more »   The 2017 Oscar nominations remind Americans what we have in common Black actors, movies about working-class white men, Ava DuVernay and Mel Gibson all pick up nominations in a list that looks and feels a lot like America in all its greatness and challenges. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Peter Berg makes great movies about radical Islam — except when he loses his nerve Berg bends over backward to be fair, even when it compromises his argument. By Sonny Bunch  •  Read more »   The Women’s March didn’t resolve all feminist debates. It didn’t need to. The march demonstrated that women and the people who care about them don't need to have agreed on the answers to these questions to mobilize together. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Today's WorldView What's most important from where the world meets Washington, plus the day's most essential reads and interesting ideas. Sign Up »         Share Act Four:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Act Four. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071