If you’re like me, you’ve probably been flooded with disappointment over the lack of support for Palestine by celebrities Pink and Ed Sheeran.
It isn’t really surprising that Ed Sheeran’s backbone isn’t working like it used to before. It’s also not a surprise that his idea of “not taking sides” is taking the side of someone who supports genocide. Sounds like he’s taking a side to me.
It also isn’t a surprise that Pink’s support for feminism starts and ends with white women.
Don’t get me wrong- Macklemore has all of my support. He has a fan for life now. The problem is, denouncing genocide isn’t a huge act of bravery, but is kind of just… the bare minimum that I expect from a celebrity worth millions of dollars. That’s what makes it so, so, so disappointing that Ed Sheeran and Pink can’t seem to grow a backbone and simply just say “Free Palestine”. Real bravery comes from the people in Palestine who have spent the last three years teaching themselves English so they can document their situation and spread it to more people around the world. Bravery is Greta Thunberg and everyone else who has stepped onto the Freedom Flotilla’s to send aid into Palestine. Bravery is the Palestinians who have continued showing up for each other in their communities.
Bringing me to the point of this essay, I’ve seen a lot of people online complain about how hard it is expecting them to stop streaming Pink and Ed Sheeran’s music. I can whole heartedly promise you that taking them off of your workout playlist is not an actual sacrifice and will not cause you to suffer. You know what does cause suffering? GENOCIDE.
We know that Ed Sheeran and Pink have all the information they need. They know that there is a genocide happening in Palestine. They know that The Israel and The United States governments are the ones causing it. I truly don’t believe that commenting on their Instagram posts will do anything but fuel their rage towards anyone who wants to hold them accountable. I’m also a big believer in that voting with your money doesn’t just apply to which companies you shop at. Showing that we will not continue supporting celebrities that condone genocide is the best way through this. Blocking them on social media, removing them from your playlists, not watching movies they’re in… Boycotting works.
It might feel like the amount of celebrities we’re boycotting doesn’t leave you with much. So, here is a list of some of the celebrities that did the bare minimum and announced their support for Palestine.
Mark Ruffalo, Renee Rap, Billie Eilish, Finneas, Macklemore, The Weeknd, Susan Sarandon, Pedro Pascal, Jesse Williams, Greta Thunberg, Hunter Schafer, Hozier, Sara Ramirez, and more.
Again, it is the bare minimum. But there are celebrities like The Weeknd who have actually donated copious amounts of money to send humanitarian aid into Palestine. We can and should be “voting with our money” to put pressure on celebrities to take a stance on this.
If you feel so inclined, please consider donating to help my friend Bilal and his 6 siblings in Palestine. You can find their crowdfunding link here.
