COVID-19 has been making its rounds globally. Many nations have called for a national shutdown, including South Africa’s own President Cyril Ramaphosa. The disease attacks the respiratory system, but its spread has had far worse results: fear, uncertainty and prejudice. As much as we’d hate to admit it, celebrities can play a big part in mongering fear or encouraging change. Let’s look at two examples:
On the 4th of March, Summer Walker, an American singer-songwriter, was the subject of much controversy when she posted this (now deleted) post to her Instagram:
i’ve been the biggest fan of summer walker for the longest time, but i’m really disappointed. spreading this kind of propaganda about the coronavirus/generalizing an entire ass group of people without any context perpetuates a cycle of unnecessary hate and ignorance. pic.twitter.com/MD8E4QN7qY
— smooth jas (@smoothjaszz) March 4, 2020
Understandably, this garnered much backlash and was seen as insensitive and prejudiced towards Asian people. Walker made the mistake of sticking by her statement, stating on her Instagram story that, even though the video was from a long time ago and had no correlation to the current dilemma of COVID-19, it was “still nasty” and that it was “not that serious”:
funny how summer walker’s social anxiety been REAL quiet ever since the racist and xenophobic side of her jumped out. i’m just tryna get some good r&b music from her but her dumbass still ain’t tired from running her mouth ??? cancelled. pic.twitter.com/YEKa2QrhSV
— madison? (@etajbieber) March 4, 2020
This is one of the main responsibilities accompanying being a celebrity – the reach you have as someone who is well known. As a person with a platform, one is almost expected to be a source of information and influence on others. While I believe that this is an important thing that celebrities do need to consider before making rash statements that are not informed, I do not think that celebrities should be put under a microscope and be expected to solve every world problem. No one is going to CardiB for advice on how to solve climate change, are they?
However, Walker falls into the former statement in that she made the dangerous decision to spread misinformation about a very serious topic and refused to acknowledge the gravity of said situation. As we all now know, being in lockdown for the past week or so, the weight of these circumstances cannot be escaped, no matter how many memes we make about them.
Another example would be that of a number of celebrities coming together (well, not physically, of course) to film a cover of “Imagine” by John Lennon. On 19 March, Gal Gadot posted a video of herself along with other big names such as Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell and Sarah Silverman, singing this song in the hopes of providing a feeling of unity and comfort during this trying time:
Unfortunately, that cover was definitely no heaven. It received much contestation as people did not seem to see the point of the cover, commenting that donations to organisations fighting the virus, providing food or shelter would have been more helpful:
Most celebrities are out of touch misfits with no self awareness you’d never ever hang out with.
“Imagine no possessions” sings multimillionaires with $million homes.
Stop putting these douche bags on pedestals.https://t.co/LVgiXExruO
— Ralph Napolitano (@DrRalphNap) March 30, 2020
Between this and the “Imagine” cover celebrities are really proving their worth right now. https://t.co/ddXym1wWR3
— CogginToboggan (@CogginToboggan) March 23, 2020
REAL TALK: I don’t want any more damn celebrities doing stupid “Imagine” covers, self-promotional web sessions, or trying to be relatable.
We are not the same.
You got millions, the rest of us don’t.
BE LIKE RIHANNA AND SOME OF THESE NBA STARS AND BAIL OUT YOUR POOR FANS.
— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) March 25, 2020
This is another important realisation for celebrities to note during this time especially – actions speak louder than words. Sure, celebrities can encourage us all to stay at home and wash our hands. The difference is that many of these celebrities have mansions and endless acres of property and amenities to keep them occupied. Meanwhile, the average person is surviving on frozen dinners and Netflix binging, which highlights a definite gap in the overall understanding of “self-isolation” and its accompanying frustrations. Sure, the sentiment was nice, but since celebrities are the people who do have the kinds of funds to be doing more, shouldn’t they be doing so already?
In this day and age, there is a thin line of activism celebrities must tread. Summer Walker represents one end of the spectrum, showing the dangers of spreading misinformation at a time like this, while Gal Gadot and her gaggle of famous friends attempting to pull a “We Are the World”, represents the other end – doing something but also not doing something.
While I agree that celebrities shouldn’t be scrutinised for everything they do or don’t do, I believe that (like it or not) they do have an influence on society and while it is there, it should be used for good – not simply sharing videos or singing songs.
Beyond this, it takes more than the influence of celebrities – it takes action from us too. If we all take the necessary precautions, such as washing our hands, self-isolating and seeking help when we need it, hopefully we can knock this virus out and end up eating frozen dinners and binging Netflix – but this time have the choice to do it outside!