Juliette Binoche & artists say “No To A Return To Normal” After Coronavirus pandemic.

More than 200 high-profile celebrities signed a manifest called No To A Return To Normal. In it, they urge global leaders and citizens to undertake a radical change after the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

The value of life

French Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche wrote the open-letter with astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau. Over 200 artists and scientists from around the world signed No To A Return To Normal.

Besides artists, signatories also include Nobel laureates for medicine, chemistry and physics. In the letter, they affirm the pursuit of consumerism and an obsession with productivity have led us to deny the value of life itself, that of plants, that of animals, and that of a great number of human beings. Denying life value to the weaker and helpless who are the most in need of our protection against, for example, around 56 million abortions performed each year has brought the world to a breaking point. The letter states that the indicators point to a direct existential threat. Unlike a pandemic, as serious as it is, it is a global collapse whose consequences will be beyond measure. For these reasons, along with increasing social inequalities, we believe it is unthinkable to “go back to normal.”

The pursuit of consumerism and an obsession with productivity have led us to deny the value of life itself, that of plants, that of animals, and that of a great number of human beings.

Who signed

Over 200 artists and scientists from around the world signed No To A Return To Normal. Robert De Niro, Joaquim Phoenix, Cate Blanchett and Marion Cotillard are some of the actors who lend their signatures to the manifest. Additionally, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Penelope Cruz and Nobel Peace winner Muhammad Yunus also gave their support. Among many others, Jane Fonda, Monica Bellucci, Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu, Pedro Almodovar and Christian Louboutin ask us to examine what is essential (…) and to undertake a profound overhaul of our goals, values, and economies.

This crisis has the virtue of inviting us to face these essential questions and consider the consequences of our lifestyle choices.

Wake-up call

No To A Return To Normal is a wake-up call. The letter calls each one of us to take the coronavirus pandemic as an invitation. This crisis has the virtue of inviting us to face these essential questions and consider the consequences of our lifestyle choices. We must act now. It is as much a matter of survival as one of dignity and coherence.

Photo by Geroges Biard via Wikimedia