I’ll be the first one to admit that I occasionally make jokes about celebrities. We all do. And many celebrities have a sense of humor and laugh along. But often times, people go too far. It’s a lesson that has been taught many times and yet, we’ve failed to learn.
Recently, up and coming R&B singer Kehlani was the subject of untrue cheating rumors, slutshaming, and cruel memes which collectively pushed her to attempt suicide. In the space of one day, the internet went from cyberbullying her to praying for her. But we wouldn’t need to come up with the hashtag #StayStrongKehlani if people weren’t being heartless for retweets.
Kehlani isn’t the only celebrity to experience this lately. A few weeks ago, Australian rapper Iggy Azalea revealed in an interview that she had suicidal thoughts after being the butt of tons of jokes online. And even indie pop singer Halsey talked about dealing with harsh comments on social media, some going as far as to make fun of her potentially not being able to biologically have kids.
Cyberbullying is a serious issue that many continue to ignore. According to most recent statistics from bullyingstatistics.org, over half of adolescents are bullied online and around the same number bully others online. Imagine getting a group of your friends together. Over half of your friends get hate messages sent to them practically everyday. Personally, I’m tired of people using the excuse that words are just that. Own up and take responsibility. If you were so big & bold saying what you said, be big & bold when you have to deal with the consequences.
I’ve heard countless times that celebs should “expect” stuff like this. As if someone should expect having people say horrible, mean things to you everyday for the rest of your life. I’ve also heard that celebs should “quit whining because they’re rich and famous.” Being rich and famous doesn’t erase your ability to have feelings. We as a society are very desensitized to celebrities having feelings. They’re human just like the rest of us.
Contrary to popular belief, being emotionally intelligent doesn’t mean you’re weak. Having a heart isn’t a bad thing. We’re human. We’re allowed to have emotions.
I will reiterate that I make jokes about celebrities. But I know that there are lines that you don’t cross. Unfortunately, not everyone’s the same. I wish we could all be kind to one another and act like we actually have hearts. But unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in.
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