Selena Gomez. Singer, actress, Justin Bieber’s ex, a Disney Channel product, Am I a little bit too old to be one of her fans? Maybe, but that has not much to do with all of that. It has to do with this one post on her Instagram.
‘It’s about humanity. Pray for Gaza’. ‘Please pray for those families and babies today. Please always remember what’s important in life. It’s not any of this. We are here to help, inspire and love. Be that change. #wearethenextgeneration’ she added as a personal comment.
As soon as she posted it, people from all over the world started to like (474769 likes 12 hours after) and comment, creating an international debate between her fans:
‘Thank you Selena finally some truth here.’
‘You don’t know how it feels!!! You’ve never been here, now you lost all your fans in Israel.’
Some decided to ‘unfollow’ her and some, like me, started to follow her just because of this post.
Why? It’s a simple message for peace. Nothing too radical you might say. True. But when it comes to Palestine, any message that sounds more or less supporting can provoke a stir.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting an artist as popular as Selena Gomez to post anything like it. Being part of the #bringourgirlsback campaign, taking a picture with the Dalai Lama or asking for world peace, those are noble statements but they also are consensual. They’re not going to threaten one’s career. Taking side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is another level of engagement, maybe the toughest. One of the main reasons is the power of the zionist lobby. Any criticism against Israel can lead to an accusation of being antisemitic.
I’m still baffled that Selena Gomez, an American mainstream artist with mainly teenager fans, had the courage to show her support to Gaza. Few days ago, Rihanna had to deny supporting Palestine and explained that her #FreePalestine tweet was a mistake. The ‘unwanted’ tweet lasted for only 8 minutes. Let’s hope Selena’s post will last longer.
It may seem minor. The interpret of ‘Come and Get It’ is not a politician or an activist but she has fans all over the world. Artists are often role models for their fans and have the power to raise awareness. Selena Gomez has over 11 million followers on Instagram. I hope that the 21-year old be able to face criticism and pressure.
daysinhadistan 