Chappell Roan has achieved colossal stardom as of late, but with greater fame comes greater controversy. Roan has been under heavy fire from her fanbase for many political statements she has made and her rightful decision to not endorse a presidential candidate.
“I have so many issues with our government in every way,” Roan said to the Guardian in the controversial interview. “So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills.”
Her fanbase was appalled by such a stance in the tumultuous political climate. But Roan, as an American citizen, has the right to be angry with the government as well as a right to speak out against the system and the candidates. One does not have to be unequivocally all-in on a single person and view them as almighty or indisputably just. No politician ever has been or ever will be such.
“I’m pretty, ‘Fuck the government, and fuck everything that’s going on right now,’” Roan said later to Rolling Stone, reiterating her initial point. “I don’t have a side because I hate both sides, and I’m so embarrassed about everything going on right now.”
Roan declined a visit to the White House, causing speculations of her supporting Trump. The wrath of ‘woke culture’ rained down on Roan, saying she must endorse a president — many demanded that she endorse Kamala Harris. But Roan has her reasons; those reasons are valid.
Harris boasts about planning to maintain America’s “most lethal fighting force” in the world and allowing Israel to defend itself, but all the ‘woke’ want to hear is that ‘Kamala is Brat’ — a movement Charli XCX started and the woke followed religiously, blindly.
The hyper-online, strictly-headline-reading, TikTok-watching generation doesn’t want to hear about policies or shortcomings; they want to hear about who is the most ‘brat.’ That’s all that determines a lot of the ‘woke’ vote. Roan is not like that; she wants to defeat these baseless nuances and bring light to the fact that the government is broken — regardless of who is commander in chief.
The hypocrisy within the ‘woke culture’ is laughable. So many self-proclaimed ‘woke’ people condemn the government for supporting Israel’s destruction of Palestine. These are also people who are condemning Roan who blatantly said she doesn’t support a government that assists Israel in a gruesome war. So, which is it? Do the ‘woke’ want to condemn the government? Or do they want to condemn the people who condemn the government?
Roan makes it clear that Harris is a better choice than Trump for a queer woman raised in a rural conservative town, but Harris won’t flip her policies or halt a war that kills about 130 people per day since its start on Oct. 7, 2023.
“There is no way I can stand behind some of the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views,” Roan said.
She does not see that as endorsable, nor do most left-wing voters. But since ‘Kamala is Brat,’ the left says Roan must endorse her. All of a sudden, Roan is a MAGA supporter because she doesn’t think ‘Kamala is Brat’ and instead believes her to be an actually relatively dangerous presidential candidate.
It’s not that celebrities shouldn’t endorse presidents. It’s fine if they do. It can be beneficial, even. Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris led to nearly half a million clicks on a link to a voter registration site. This is a good thing; people need to vote and know how to do so.
The problem is the expectancy of a celebrity endorsing someone. A public figure like a musician or actor shouldn’t have to feel obligated to endorse. If they want to use their platform in this way: great, phenomenal, not a problem.
But just because someone like Roan doesn’t want to offer an endorsement does not have to lead to online condemnation. As it turns out, more celebrities have not endorsed a president than celebrities who have.
Roan heard the criticism loud and clear and has taken to TikTok to respond. As she should.
“Fuck Trump, for fucking real, but fuck some of the shit that has gone down in the Democratic Party that has failed people like me and you, ” Roan said on TikTok, addressing the chaotic responses to her comments.
She doesn’t have to stay silent and there’s no reason she has to tolerate the angry population’s exploitation by using things she has said out of context. Let the passive, undefiant celebrities like Swift do that. Roan can speak her mind and clarify her stance. It’s a privilege granted by the Constitution.
Roan has every right to not endorse a president. To put her under fire for this denounces free speech and a citizen’s right to it. Let’s not be adults whose automatic response is to cancel someone. Let’s be educated, knowledgeable, sympathetic adults.
