Many wonder ‘What is Hollywood Walk of Fame?’ The Hollywood Walk of Fame is one of the most celebrated attractions in Hollywood. It’s a collection of ‘stars’ embedded in the pavement along three blocks of Vine Street and fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard. Each star is a public monument in its own right and honours an individual (or sometimes a group) that has made significant contributions to the entertainment industry. The ‘walk’ stretches for nearly one-and-a-half miles, with around 20 new stars added to it every year. Though the stars are meant to be permanent, there have been calls for certain people to have their star removed because of various reasons. The question is, should any of the stars ever be removed?
Yes – there are some people who just don’t deserve one
There have been various instances of people not being happy with certain celebrities having a star on the Walk of Fame. West Hollywood recently voted in favour of removing US President Donald Trump’s star. This was meaningless, however, as Trump’s star lies outside of the boundaries of West Hollywood, so the vote was more symbolic than anything. Bill Cosby’s star was recently vandalised and both Michael Jackson and John Lennon’s stars have been defaced with graffiti in the past. Some think that people who are found guilty of various crimes, or who are controversial in certain ways, shouldn’t deserve a star and, despite whatever achievements they’ve made, should have their star removed.
No – achievements should always be honoured
The idea behind the Walk of Fame is to honour positive contributions and achievements. There are many negative things associated with some recipients of stars, yes, but if you start removing stars because of something the recipient has said or done, where do you stop and how do you decide whose star gets to remain and whose doesn’t? Having a star installed reportedly costs around $40,000, with maintenance costs on top of that. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which manages the Walk of Fame, treats every single star as a California State landmark; it’s issued a public notice stating that if anyone’s unhappy with a recipient of a star for whatever reason, they shouldn’t take their anger or displeasure out on such a landmark and instead make their opinions known in a more positive way.
What do you think?
While it’s been made clear that stars on the Walk of Fame are permanent and not to be mistreated in any way, there are still those who think certain people shouldn’t have a star for various reasons. Should all stars be permanent? If not, how should it be decided who gets to keep their star and who doesn’t? If someone earned a star but was later found guilty of serious crimes, should they keep their star? What about a polarising public figure? Should someone lose their star just because someone don’t like what they stand for?
