Hollywood types such as Richard Branson, Jay Leno and Ellen DeGeneres are now up in arms over the luxury Dorchester Hotel.
The hotel is owned by the Brunei Investment Agency, the economic arm of the Sultanate of Brunei. They are angry because Brunei has introduced Sharia law. Sharia law is a system of governance connected to Muslim belief that can be brutal when viewed through western eyes. I am not an expert (by any stretch of the imagination) on what Sharia law entails. I know that the laws can be brutal toward women and that it views women as being subservient to men. Sharia mandates death to homosexuals and adulterers and cutting off the limbs of thieves. I know that I am over-simplifying here and I apologize in advance, but the essence is that Brunei has officially embraced this system of beliefs.
In no way do I support such belief, but this is setting up an interesting ethical drama. I might add that the Dorchester is part of what is known as a “hotel collection.” Brunei Investment Agency also owns the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Bel Air Hotel and many other high-end properties around the world; places I would not be likely to afford even if Costa Rica, Sweden or Monaco owned them.
In what do we believe?
The first thing that crosses my mind is that the world’s economy is no longer local, it is global. In the middle of December, when most of America is blanketed with snow, ice or cold, our supermarkets are still selling tomatoes, papayas, cut flowers and orange juice. Where does Hollywood think this stuff is coming from? When we drive to our local “Big Box” store to buy a new BBQ, garden rake, or window fan, who do we think is manufacturing these items? If I buy a new shirt and tie, where are these goods most likely to be made?
It is all well and good that Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines (British owned) is taking a stance on a social issue, but even his multi-faceted airline flies into places with questionable practices toward religion and race. Should we demand he stop flying to those places? What about the fuel for his jet fleet? Is it only drilled from the U.S. or Canada?
Ellen is hilariously funny and I know many people who love her show, but some of her sponsors have products manufactured under sweat shop conditions in countries with questionable human rights records. Should we boycott all of those products?
Now I come to the issue of employment. How many employees at the Dorchester are from the Sultanate of Brunei? Not any, I would wager. I would hazard a guess that the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Bel Air Hotel are devoid of employees from Brunei as well. So where do the employees of the hotels come from? They come all the way from Southern California. Perhaps Ellen or Jay might have jobs for a few of them. However, Hollywood and privilege has never let the little people get in the way of a pseudo-social cause.
The boycott of these hotels is window dressing. And that’s ethically wrong. All these boycotts will accomplish is to force hard-working people to lose their jobs. Hollywood will simply go on to their next mindless cause.
If Sir Richard Branson and Jay Leno and Ellen DeGeneres with their millions upon millions of dollars really want to do something, they can go after Brunei in the international arena. They can testify against our government’s support of Brunei. They can divest their own portfolios of any investment remotely related to a country with a poor human rights record. They can mount advertising and public relations campaigns on an international level as well. However, they won’t do that. This isn’t about an issue; it is all about the spotlight.
Sharia Law may be the worst set of laws ever devised, but getting employees laid off at Los Angeles hotels is little more than their idle exercise. Hollywood, if you want to take a stand, put your money where your mouth is and make a real difference!
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