The voice of and for USM students

SM2

The voice of and for USM students

SM2

The voice of and for USM students

SM2

Imagine if celebs stopped posting during quarantine

Illustration+by+Alexandria+Moore
Illustration by Alexandria Moore

A couple of weeks ago, actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost re-enacted the “Winchester Plan” scene from their famous comedy, “Shaun of the Dead.” It was seen as an amusing tribute and a PSA to stay at home while the world fights the coronavirus.

This is how some celebrities have responded to the coronavirus. They use their stardom not to personally vent about the virus, but to be nice and remind us that they are going with the flow like everyone else.

Unfortunately, a majority of celebrities are using social media platforms to argue that the virus is either a personal problem or nothing to worry about. For example, actress Vanessa Hudgens posted a video on Instagram ranting about how the virus was nonsense and the death of thousands was inevitable.

The coronavirus has brought out the worst in humanity. When people aren’t panic-buying all the goods from stores, celebrities like Madonna are ranting from their million-dollar homes about how the virus is a bunch of nonsense.

Meanwhile, hospital employees are working day-in and day-out to save lives and people are losing jobs due to so many businesses, big and small, having to close doors.

It also doesn’t help how there have been many stories of celebrities getting tested to see if they have the disease instead of millions of at-risk people, especially if they show no symptoms.

Not everyone is a millionaire like them. If that were the case, everyone would stay at home in our fancy mansions, eating shrimp cocktails and waiting for this to blow over.

Although the virus has brought to light the arrogance of many celebrities, some are contributing to the good fight. Lady Gaga donated funds to America’s Food Fund, while Jay-Z and Rhianna both donated $1 million to relief efforts.

In “Men in Black,” before Jay signs up for the agency, Agent K tells him, “A person is smart.  People are panicky, dumb, dangerous and you know it!” The response to the coronavirus has made this statement more relevant than ever. Now is not the time to horribly sing “Imagine” or brush off this problem like it’s nothing. Some celebrities feel like they are entitled to everything, but how would they react if they didn’t know when their next paycheck will be?

Some famous individuals have handled the problem with respect, but many have chosen not to.  They say the rich eat the poor, but in this case, it feels like the rich are ignoring the poor.

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