Celebrity activism has long been a part of American culture.
From Jane Fonda’s appearance with the Viet Cong in 1971 to
Kanye West’s televised rant on the president’s
disaffection for black people, the famous have long embraced the
role of aspiring world changer. While I admire the idealism and
empathy driving these stars, there is an undeniable triteness about
the whole concept.
This thought plagued me as I walked into Haines A2 last
Wednesday, where international peace foundation OneVoice was
holding a forum on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Among the
featured speakers was Jason Alexander, better known to the world as
George Costanza from “Seinfeld.”
When I initially learned about the appearance, I was overcome
with excitement.
“Oh my God ““ I get to meet George!” the
“Seinfeld”-phile in me exclaimed. But my roommate Andy
had a different reaction.
“Is he really the best person they could get for
this?” he asked. “I mean, aren’t any prime
ministers or diplomats or professors available?”
When an important issue ““ one that’s quite literally
life-or-death for many in the Middle East ““ is addressed, my
first thoughts are imbued with celebrity worship. Forget about
resolving the conflict in the Holy Land; I want to meet one of the
stars of my all-time favorite sitcom. The more I reflected on the
situation, the more absurd it seemed.
To analyze one of the most significant problems in the modern
world, we turned to an actor best known for his celebration of the
trivial. On “Seinfeld,” George’s thoughts
virtually never expanded beyond his own small, banal world ““
his problems were more along the lines of “I always get the
feeling that when lesbians are looking at me they’re
thinking, “˜That’s why I’m not a
heterosexual.'”
I could only agree with my roommate: Was Alexander really the
best person they could get for this?
But I had my own honest, if mildly deplorable, answer: He was
the main reason I was attending.
Much of my guilt was assuaged, however, when I began to chat
with the gent seated next to me.
“Dude, that’s George from
“˜Seinfeld!'” he began. “I stayed on campus
all day to see this.”
“So you’re excited about the forum?” I asked,
attempting to maintain some sense of solemnity.
“This is the event of the century!” he said
lightheartedly.
I asked if he followed the situation in Israel and Palestine
closely. The dismissive side-to-side shake of his head confirmed my
suspicions ““ he, like myself, was guided to Haines that windy
Wednesday evening not by noble motivations, such as an interest in
world affairs or a desire to promote global peace, but by passion
for a truly brilliant sitcom. I may have been slightly
reprehensible, but at least I wasn’t alone.
Finally, the forum began. An organizer for OnePeace opened the
event, briefly describing the mission of the foundation: fostering
reconciliation and moderation through grassroots activities in both
Israeli and Palestinian territories. It sounded like a worthwhile
endeavor. Then came the speakers.
Alexander still looked like his immortal sitcom character, save
the addition of a full beard. He spoke with the focus and charisma
one would expect from a veteran actor of the screen and stage,
captivating the audience with anecdotes about his travels in the
Holy Land and jokes about the ludicrous ideas sometimes presented
on college campuses. His address, no more than 10 minutes in
length, mixed humor and gravity to explain his views on the
conflict and, with cautious optimism, the prospects for an enduring
end to violence.
Alexander was, quite simply, perfect as a speaker on the
Israel-Palestine puzzle. While I entered the forum with a solid
background on the conflict, his address inspired a desire to learn
even more. In a mere 600 seconds, he gave the strife in Jerusalem a
relevancy and importance easily forgotten on the calm streets of
Westwood.
It is easy to be cynical about celebrity activists ““ who
are these pampered stars, addressing the rest of us as if they have
the answers? But my experience Wednesday showed me the immense
value a celebrity with a conscience can have.
Whether a graduate student writing a dissertation on the
politics of the Gaza strip or a freshman who couldn’t locate
Tel Aviv on a map, Alexander’s comments likely compelled many
people in attendance to reflect on the problems of the area ““
so often given the despairing label of intractable ““ with
renewed vigor.
I only needed to look to my left to witness the value of
“George going global.” My fellow “Seinfeld”
devotee, who entered chuckling about his favorite moments on the
sitcom, was watching the proceedings with great interest; his smile
was replaced by the focused look of a person striving to comprehend
things he had never previously considered.
“This is eye-opening,” he whispered to me.
E-mail Kearns your favorite “Seinfeld” moment at
bkearns@media.ucla.edu.