On Tuesday night's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, Ezra highlighted how something genuinely historic appears to be unfolding in Iran. Despite internet blackouts, power cuts and brutal repression, ordinary Iranians are flooding the streets demanding the end of nearly half a century of rule by the Ayatollahs.

What's occurring seems to be more than a symbolic protest or passing riot; the Islamist regime could be near the brink of collapse due to water shortages, economic collapse and a population exhausted by its theocratic tyranny.

The Islamic Republic is responding with the usual tools of fear: mass killings, information blackouts and collective punishment. Reports suggest thousands may already be dead. Yet the protests persist.

What’s striking, though, is the muted reaction from Western elites. When Hamas fought Israel, celebrities, students and activists poured into the streets of London, Toronto and New York. Now, as Iranians fight an actual Islamist dictatorship, that same crowd is largely silent. There are no trending hashtags, no celebrity anthems, no mass encampments.

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Swedish pop star Zara Larsson embodies the contrasting response to the two situations.

She took to Instagram to inform her nearly 10 million followers that she “effing hates” ICE, the US immigration enforcement agency. From the comfort of Scandinavia, she accused American law enforcement of being violent criminals, even as she prepares to tour the United States and rely on the very visa system she mocks.

Her stance is neither brave nor insightful, Ezra said. It’s cheap moral posturing aimed at an audience conditioned to applaud any denunciation of American authority.

Foreign celebrities are free to hold opinions. However, entry into the United States is a privilege — not a right. The idea that someone like Larsson can openly criticize U.S. institutions and then expect to be welcomed reflects how accustomed America has become to being sneered at.

The irony is hard to miss. While Iranians are risking everything to overthrow a real police state, Western celebrities casually attack democratic enforcement agencies from a position of total safety.

One struggle is existential. The other is performative. Perhaps it’s time the West learned to tell the difference.