The Free Tibet movement in the 1990s became a kind of all-hands moment for the alternative music world. The Beastie Boys were the driving force behind the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, and they pulled in a huge range of artists: R.E.M., Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bjork, U2, Alanis Morissette, Blur, Foo Fighters, Fugees, No Doubt, Pavement and plenty of others. For a few years, supporting Tibet was almost a standard badge of honor for bands who wanted to be seen as politically aware and culturally plugged in.

The whole thing felt massive at the time, with stadium crowds, nonstop press attention, and a sense that music could genuinely shift the conversation. But once China became a major global economic power, governments and corporations grew quieter about Tibet, and public attention shifted to newer problems. The star-powered momentum faded, and the movement lost the visibility it briefly had.

In short, it is a grim little truth of modern virtue that every cause comes with an expiry date. The public grows bored, then irritated, then outright suspicious if something dares to linger past its moment. So along comes the next shiny emergency, the latest glittering moral bauble, and suddenly everyone is shrieking about that instead. Righteousness is a carousel, and the masses never miss their chance to climb onto the newest, noisiest horse..