Many Americans are going to die for no other reason than the fact that Donald Trump, a person whose political ascension can be majorly attributed to the art of the scam and the con of celebrity culture, is sadly the head of the U.S. federal government at the worst possible moment imaginable. His flaccid display of leadership is only outmatched by his general stupidity and penchant for somehow finding time to stoke racial tensions and paranoia in the midst of a nation reeling from fear and panic of the growing pandemic.
I have never managed to quite get over the shock that somehow, the former host of The Apprentice became president of the United States of America, but I do know one thing is for sure: it has made me all the more alarmed whenever an uninformed celebrity commits an act that even remotely reminds me of that goofy thot in the White House.
Although in the past, I have jokingly referred to Keri Hilson as “The Maleficent of R&B,” I don’t seriously begrudge her. If anything, I miss her music and stop playing with me and email me the file to that track “Dinero.” What she can keep, though, are her conspiracy theories.
For some odd reason, Hilson felt compelled to live tweet the already debunked theory that links 5G wireless technology to the spread of COVID-19. “People have been trying to warn us about 5G for YEARS,” Hilson said on Twitter over the weekend. “Petitions, organizations, studies…what we’re going thru is the affects of radiation.”
Not knowing when to leave well enough alone, Hilson then shared screenshot-captured conspiracy theory readings, directed folks to an IG account saying a bunch of nothing. She also tweeted the question “Why do you think the virus is not happening in Africa like that?”
I fault the American education system for coercing us to think in terms of memorization and repetition for standardized tests as opposed to critical analysis and the media as a whole for parts of this, but nonetheless: my God, a lot of you folks love yourselves a conspiracy.
For the record, Politifact pointed out this theory is baseless. Moreover, if you put more faith in Google, you’ll likely realize that the lack of cases in Africa and Russia thus far probably have more to do with low levels of travel exchange with China along with select other factors than 5G. Meanwhile, neither continent is off the hook. Already, Russia has confirmed its first death related to the virus and is anticipating higher numbers among its population soon.
But this is like some of you Negroes hollering about melanin (God help me) protecting you from that ‘rona.
I don’t want to single Keri Hilson out solely. Tori Spelling was casually racist and Vanessa Hudgens was downright callous, cruel, and awful in that Instagram Live clip.
And well-meaning or not, I’m not sure a bunch of rich folks singing a song envisioning a world in which their wealth and possessions provides much in the way of encouragement given many will also die for no other reason than not having it like the rich. Regardless, I am less concerned about any of them because they don’t yield the same influence over us the way others like Hilson and select silly professional athletes do.
Hilson deleted the tweet because management told her to, an admission I found disappointing. Hilson was not stoking debate or opening people’s minds. She was spreading a conspiracy theory. We don’t need Negro League Jenny McCarthy’s. Not now, not ever.
That’s why I am begging and pleading with many famous people of Keri Hilson’s particular reach out there that if they cannot use their oversized platform for good in the time of this pandemic, please, for humanity’s sake, keep your crock lil’ theories about the coronavirus to yourself. We don’t need folks fixated on fantasy; they need to pay attention to facts delivered by informed people.
It’s our duty to shut them down from spreading misinformation. It is literally the difference between life and death. As simple an adage as “We’re all in this together” is, so many are struggling to embrace it.
Americans are dying because of an uninformed, clueless celebrity already. There are plenty of celebrities making real contributions with their art and money. That’s appreciated, but the conspiracy theory peddling and related displays of nonsense? Tuck it in. Again, if you don’t know what you’re talking about, again pretty please with powdered sugar on top: be quiet.
If that’s the only contribution many of them can offer, it’s more than enough.