by Yoni Weinberg, spiked
Celebrities who fail to accuse Israel of ‘genocide’ risk being burnt at the stake.
‘Put me down as thinking it’s a genocide’, actor Adam Brody recently told GQ. ‘Put me down as wanting a free Palestine.’
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Put me down. It’s the language of someone choosing dinner at a wedding. ‘Put me down for the sea bass.’ Here he’s choosing to accuse Israel of genocide. He offers no explanation or evidence for his choice. Just a position to record.
Brody may sincerely believe what he’s saying. But how freely does anyone speak in an industry where giving the wrong answer can become a public ordeal?
I work in Hollywood as a screenwriter and I am currently developing a series that takes place during the Spanish Inquisition. Spending time with that history makes certain contemporary rituals look unfortunately familiar. Someone makes an accusation, an inquisitor combs through your past and you issue a declaration. Then you’re either absolved or burnt at the stake, with the judgement delivered in public so everyone else knows what’s expected of them.