Before we start this video I'd like to direct your attention to eSIMS for Gaza where you can
buy data for Palestinians in Gaza affected by Israeli orchestrated power outages. The directions
are on their site but basically you just need to download an eSIM carrier which they list for you
and then buy the amount of data you want to give. I donated 10GB for around 30 USD and then you
email the QR code to them and they match it with someone in need and voila it's that easy. If you're
able to donate and spare some extra cash it would mean the world for them. So thanks and now on
to the video. As Katy Perry once said if you stand for nothing you fall for everything. Well actually
that quote is attributed to Alexander Hamilton but the sentiment still Rings true centuries
later. If you don't have any political morals or grounding then you're bound to be easily
swayed or duped or even worse, remain neutral in a time of crisis. In this case currently in the year
2024 the crisis at hand is the genocide in Gaza against the Palestinian people at the hands of
the IDF or Israeli military. This isn't the first time this has happened however and actually the
Israel Palestine conflict has been going on since the first Nakba in 1948 when almost 1 million
Palestinian Arabs were displaced and made refugees on their own Homeland along the Gaza Strip, to make
way for the new Israeli nation state which would later turn into the present day foothold for the
US and other Western European powers in the Middle East. And conveniently the this coincided within
years of Egypt gaining control of the Suez canal in 1956 after almost a century of British and French
control. Today the genocide in Gaza is said to be happening in order to make way for a new Canal
that would rival the Suez and be controlled by Israel and their allies in order to facilitate
faster and cheaper trade and of course line their pockets. Maintaining the state of Israel would also
mean the continuation of securing US military economic and political interests in an area
that is in general very hostile to the US and to be honest understandably so. But political and
monetary interest in building this new Canal is not the only reason behind the genocide, it is also
an example of ethnic cleansing. We cannot ignore the fact that Israeli Jews believe that they are
above Arab and Muslim Palestinians because they align themselves with whiteness. They and others
in the Jewish diaspora have reveled in their white adjacentness, even showing off their blonde hair and
blue eyes juxtaposed to those "dirty brown Arabs." This is very much a religious and racial conflict as
much as a capitalist one, as settler colonialism and imperialism is usually motivated by many different
factors not just monetary gain but an actual ideology that the Conqueror is innately better
than the conquered. "For glory, god, and gold and the virginia company." Graves are being dug up, children are being shot at, people are
being deprived of food and basic Humanity, all to erase the Palestinian people who the IDF and the
US government see as less than. The goal is to erasee any memory of them and their history so
it's as if they never existed, and the mainstream news narrative is that the US and Israel are just
trying to stop Hamas a resistance Group which they believe justifies bombing hospitals, dressing up as
medical staff to infiltrate a hospital, and killing thousands and thousands of children and babies not
to mention the kidnapping of children from their murdered parents. It has been documented that IDF
soldiers are kidnapping Palestinian babies and children and ripping them away from their own
families and now the young adults and children growing up under this of terror aren't only going
to be traumatized for the rest of their lives, some are also going to become radicalized and be deemed
terrorists by the US and Israel, but who will in reality join the resistance force against one
of the biggest militaries in the world if not the biggest. Anti-Semitism is very real but contrary to
popular belief being pro-Palestine doesn't mean you hate Jewish people. In fact many Jewish people
in the diaspora are calling for a ceasefire and end of the violence and are pro-Palestine because
never again means never again. Why would children of Holocaust victims want another group of
people to face what their Elders faced? Yet some people have chosen to become the oppressors
whether in or out of the diaspora, and have said they stand with the state of Israel and want
to continue the genocide against the Palestinian civilians, a terrorist group that frankly only
exists because of how shittily their people have been treated by those in power. If your community
was suddenly uplifted and told they were second class citizens wouldn't you fight back? If the
Hunger Games Were Real Katniss would be labeled a terrorist not a freedom fighter. Ever since the
first Nakba the indigenous Palestinians have been pushed further and further from
their Homeland carpet bombed subjected to chemical weapons and other torture that seems unendurable
and yet they persist, and one day Palestine will be free, but for now we fight and resist
in the small ways only we as individuals under an imperialist and growing fascist regime can, and we
will never look away. But it seems as though those in power and those with great influence want you
to forget forget that the US is subsidizing the Israeli Healthcare and Military with US
tax money, forget that various companies like McDonald's and Burger King give Aid to the IDF
and forget that even higher learning institutions like Rucker's University give money to Israel and
even worse some people with extreme wealth and influence and popularity are doing their best
to not say anything at all. So as I was editing this I thought I'd just put a short disclaimer
here before we get too deep into this whole thing. Firstly I just want to say that I'm not trying to
condemn people who like these celebrities art or performances. I too partake in society and listen
to music and consume media, but rather the point of the discussion here is to highlight hypocrisy
and even the soullessness of the Rich and Famous who continue to push this narrative that they're
people too and that they also care about the world and their fans, us commoners, but then when
it's time to show up they don't. And though I know that many just don't care if x person says this or
Y person does that or say "what'll they change?", but if a celebrity really is a person too if you know
they say they're human then where's their Humanity? Secondly they are not the victims here and whether
we're bad people or good people for liking X Y or Z's music or movies isn't what's at stake
here either, but rather what is important is that the Palestinian people are being killed on mass
and it seems as though those with the biggest platforms who hoard obscene amounts of wealth
and influence don't care. I think a lot about how capitalism alienates us from one another
and repackaging self-care as selfishness, and I can't think of a better example than what's
happening right now. I know some people may think this is just a waste of time because it's not
their job but since when is it someone's job to care about their fellow humans? To end this just
remember the Rich and Famous aren't victims in this fight and being bogged down with your own
morality on whether to continue to consume their work is missing the point. The bigger picture is
just this General lack of caring about holding others accountable, this apathy that we should
just accept silence as the world Burns, I just don't think that's right. So with the state of
the world as it is you'd expect the quote unquote liberal Hollywood Machine to say something about
it you'd expect the artists that we all look up to people have millions upon millions of dollars
people have huge platforms who take brand deal after brand deal or who have their own Brands to I
don't know do or at least say something. But there are some who say why should they? We have political
activists for that, we have Grassroots politicians for that, celebrities aren't elected officials and
in some ways I understand that. I remember when that one teen beauty pageant contestant was being
ripped to shreds for not giving a well-crafted answer to why some U.S. school children couldn't
point to it on a map and in the end it just shows how exploitative beauty pageants are, specifically
teen ones. Like this portion of the pageant is just there to set them up to fail, to show that they're
quote unquote AirHeads, and used to humiliate the young women who compete in them. And to demand
that celebrities take a stand on every political issue that they might not be educated about feels
like putting them on the stand just waiting for them to fail so we can all laugh at them
and use their ineptitude as a way to cancel them or Justify abuse they face because celebrities of
course are people too and very public people at that. But it's different when celebrities declare
themselves activists because then we can more readily hold them accountable because they're
outwardly trying to make a change. The hard part though when it comes to celebrity activism is
making the gestures feel genuine because a lot of the time it seems like whatever they do will
never be good enough or come off as self-centered. Kim Kardashian has raised awareness and even has
fought to get prisoners who were wrongly convicted off of death row, and is trying to pass the bar, but
to many it comes off as if she's just doing it for herself for her own vanity. People wonder how
pure her intentions are when she's broadcasting her good deeds for all to see on her reality show.
It's like high school students who do a summer in a nation in Africa with their Church where yeah I
guess they donate their time and work and even build stuff, but in the end they're just doing
it to pad their resume and spread their religion. Does that invalidate the volunteering and help
and impact that they had? Brad Pitt notoriously built housing after Katrina hit only for those
houses to be poorly built and homeowners locked into mortgages and stuck with shitty property. The
plaintiffs ended up winning against make it right pitt's charity that built the houses and the other
celebrity back charity Global green was going to pay $20.5 million to help repair the homes
until it was discovered that they were actually still in the process of raising the money, leaving
homeowners pessimistic once again. Note that it has been almost 18 years since Katrina hit, and almost 16
years since pitt made that initial deposit. In many ways celebrity activism falls flat because despite
their impact it doesn't feel like they really mean it and honestly in some cases like pitt's
they don't mean it. But of course that depends on the celebrity. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
is one of the reasons why she's so beloved. Some celebrities also donate their Millions quietly to
scholarship funds like Beyonce and Jay-Z donated $2 million in scholarships for students attending
HBCUs. Lastly some celebrities even have their own foundations like Miley Cyrus with her happy
hippie foundation and Leonard DiCaprio who has his Leonard DiCaprio Foundation that supports over 35
Innovative conservation projects around the world that protect fragile ecosystems and species. Even
though it may come across as fake activism celebrities using their influence and power
as well as their money for good whether quietly or not is what is expected of you when you're
in this social contract where the public gives you Fame and riches, you then need to give back in some
way show you care or at least perform as if you care, and most are up to this task and their good
faith is recognized and even if it's selfish at least they're doing something right? But honestly
in the case of Kim and the whole Kardashian clan, I'd rather them Fade Into Obscurity. And to get really
into it I just wish the celebrity class didn't exist at all but here we are. And though being a celebrity
can sometimes be a form of abuse especially if you're a child teen or young adult once you become
a full-fledged adult most people expect you to be a good influence in the world and I think
that's fine and a good thing. We should expect those with money and power to not abuse those
things. But when it comes to the genocide in Gaza it seems as though most celebrities have remained
silent or painfully apolitical. On the Spectrum there are those who are using platform to voice
their support for a continuation of the war like Mayim Bialik and former IDF Soldier Gal Gadot, those in
the middle who have done the bare minimum for a celebrity with millions of dollars and followers
like going to a fundraiser signing the artists for a change letter doing a both sides thing of
wanting all children to be free and all people to know peace Etc. There are also those who have
said nothing, and though may have attended again a single fundraiser or signed the artists for a
change letter which requires almost no actual sacrifice, haven't posted anything to their fans
or followers letting them know where they stand on this deeply horrific thing that's happening.
And then there are those who have called for a ceasefire and for their followers to do the
same, those who have used their platform time and time again to educate people about the genocide
of the Palestinians and demand Justice and an end to Israel's crimes against humanity. Bella
Hadid has been vocal For Years about Palestine on her Instagram and even shares stories of her
grandfather and father who survived the first Nakba, and how her heart goes out to all of the
children and families suffering in Gaza reaching her millions of fans and disrupting the mainstream
narrative that one can be neutral or apolitical when it comes to genocide. Melissa Barrera the star
of Scream 7 was fired in November of 2023 by spy glass entertainment the production company for her
Pro Palestinian posts saying "spy glasses stance is unequivocally clear we have zero tolerance
for anti-Semitism or the incitement of hate in any form including false references to genocide
ethnic cleansing Holocaust Distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech."
So much for Hollywood being a liberal institution. Melissa has continued to get backlashed for simply
sharing links to donate to organizations that will help those in Gaza such as the United Nations
relief and agency for Palestine refugees in the near East. She not only lost her job but Hollywood
as an institution has deemed her a pariah, but her co-star Jenna Ortega left the production
in solidarity with her. On October 21st of 2023 celebrities came together and signed a ceasefire
letter to Biden the list continues to grow and is updated daily the last update being the 23rd of
January with more names being added each day. And just like that co-stars Sarah Ramirez and Cynthia
Nixon have both been vocal about the genocide in Gaza but only Ramirez was kicked off the
show citing their Pro Palestinian views as to why. In the end many celebrities including Jane Fonda
and Simon Helberg have called for a ceasefire and have either encouraged their followers to
do the same, sign the ceasefire letter to Biden or both. As we've discussed at an individual level one
reason celebrities decide not to use their wealth an influence to be political is because they feel
like they can never win or be taken seriously, so they apathetically give up. But not everyone
feels that way and in the end that's more of a subjective reason as to why famous people don't
do or say anything too politically divisive. A more systemic reason though is because Hollywood as
an institution is generally conservative and right leaning as well as intensely patriotic.
Melissa Barrera's treatment was a reminder for all artists in Hollywood to remember their place
and is being used as an example for those who step out of line. The institution that be the
institutions that award people like Taylor Swift at the Grammys or snub Greta Lee at the Oscars are
invested in Israel and the US backed occupation. Hollywood is a nationalistic institution and you
don't want to bite the hand that feeds you. Shout out to Annie Lenox for calling for a ceasefire at
this year's Grammys that's the least you can do in a room full of wealthy Rich celebrities who
would still be rich beyond their Wildest Dreams even if they just shared one link to relief or
one post about how Palestinians are struggling just to stay alive at the hands of Israel and
the US. There's no incentive for these people to speak out so we need to force them out of
their comfortable silence. Dan and Phil YouTubers were able to raise $100,000 for Palestine imagine
what Taylor Swift could do or Selena Gomez? Heck Selena Gomez at least signed the ceasefire letter
Swift hasn't. That's again one of the most basic things you can do that doesn't even require you
to leave your own house. And if celebrities really are people too, don't they have political opinions
don't have a moral duty like the rest of us to speak out against Injustice? You can't have it
both ways. You can't say celebrities are people too but then not act like a fellow human being.
Sometimes I wonder if these celebrities even know what's going on because they probably don't even
look at their own news feeds and have other people doing it for them. They're so far removed from the
world in their gilded cages that maybe truly they don't even read or see what's happening in the
world, or maybe it's because their activism starts and ends with themselves. Not all celebrities are
activists and I guess in the end that's fine not all celebrities need to use their platform for
good, some even use them for bad, but in a world where our political institutions are failing us
it would make the world at least for me a little better knowing that those with great power and
influence those that we as the public are told to look up, to bring into our homes, don't remain
apolitical in time of genocide, especially when their own government funds it. If the Rich and
Famous truly are human it would be a no-brainer to speak up for their fellow man, but maybe I've just
fooled myself all these years into thinking that the celebrity class has any Consciousness at all.
I think it's even harder to accept celebrities like Beyonce Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift staying
silent on this matter as they do seem to care about politics, urging people to vote and fight
against bigotry and hate. I think maybe in their minds they just don't feel like they can make a
difference as Selena Gomez previously said at the end of last year a "post won't change the world", but
why not at least give it a try? On the other hand I get it at this point we really want celebrities to
do anything or say anything anything at this point because in the end they'll just find some way to
capitalize on the thing and incorporate it into their brand, but I'd rather someone incorporate
being anti genocide into their corporate ego than to just sit back and watch the world burn,
but that's just me. But who knows maybe those who haven't said anything really just don't care or
actually side with the US government we'll never know. You've see what happened to the Dixie Chicks
to Barrera to Ramirez so I get that there's strong incentives not to be an activist, but
it's hard to take that seriously when again two YouTubers that have recently just made a comeback
after taking a break from the platform were able to raise $100,000 in relief, but in the end like
the letter Gomez and other celebrities signed says "history is watching", and the Dixie Chicks
Barrera and Ramirez all landed on the right side of it. The reason I'm making this video is because
I don't want to look back on this time and say I did nothing and I'm saddened by the realization
that these artists we all hold so dear, who have so much money power and influence, are okay and
comfortable with nothing, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I think in the end what infuriates
me is that we'd all like to think that if we were them we would do something, but now I'm not sure
that we would. All I know is, I, a nobody, don't want to fall into that apathetic mindset and I'm really
disheartened by the fact that so many celebrities take this route of either truly believing that
they don't have any influence and yet see their makeup and albums sell out worldwide, or are just
giving us these platitudes and silence because they're too cowardly to do anything that would
require putting themselves out there and actually risking something. And though I agree that again
celebrities aren't politicians and who cares you know they have no political power whatever, I think
just as a fellow human being or just as fellow human beings, from person to person, human to human,
we should be concerned that when a genocide is happening they have nothing to say. So I end this
video with the same quote, if you stand for nothing you fall for everything. Thanks for watching.