Artist Accountability

Libya is the newest country to challenge the longtime leadership of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Since the challenge began in February, many music artists have admitted to accepting million dollar fees from the dictator for performing for his family over the years. Some artists, like Beyonce have donated the fee to a worthwhile cause (Beyonce donated her fee to the Haiti relief efforts). Others, Like Mariah Carey have decided to return their performance fees.

Carey has admitted she was unaware of the issues surrounding Gaddafi and the Libyan government. She called for artists to be more aware of who they are booked to perform for, regardless of who actually booked the performance. Mariah made a good point that artists are held accountable and must take responsibility for who they perform for. At the end of the day, artists are responsible for their actions.

This made me think about global citizenship and how we, as global citizens, must take responsibility for our actions. Whether it is the clothing we buy or the food we eat, we are ultimately held responsible as consumers for the goods we purchase. While this is much easier said than done, making better consumer choices where possible is always a good idea. Hopefully in the future doing so will be made easier by requiring companies to adhere to labour, environmental, and production standards. Until then, as consumers we must try to make these decisions on our own.

Food for thought.
Mariah Carey to Return Gaddafi Family Fee