Trigger warning: war, genocide, islamophobia
Last week (May 6), millions of people worldwide tuned in to see models, actors, and other influential figures in show-biz climbing up the famous stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in Manhattan,USA.
Image credits:Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
The popular trilogy and the movies, notably featuringJennifer Lawrenceas heroine Katniss Everdeen, depict Panem, a North American country consisting of the wealthy Capitol and 13 districts in varying states of poverty.
Much like the fictive Capitol’s ostentatious displays of wealth and luxury contrasted sharply with the impoverished districts, people have highlighted the realMet Gala‘s immense display of opulence amid broader societal inequalities.
Image credits:Vogue
In addition to celebrities exhibiting their lavish and incredibly expensive outfits, social media users have also criticized the cost of partaking in the event.
An individual ticket for the Met Gala costs around $75,000, while a 10-seat table starts at $350,000, theBBCreported.
“This is genuinely so dystopian,” a man who runs the Climate Revolution TikTok page said in avideo. “These people are living in a different plane of reality than the rest of us.”
The backlash spurred a social media movement urging celebrities to speak out on the ongoing Palestine crisis
Image credits:Rotten Tomatoes Trailers
“War, abortion access, rent prices, sea level rise, extreme heat, food scarcity, these things don’t concern them.”
On the same day the Met Gala took place, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from Rafah to make way for what it called a “limited” military operation in a city where 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering,Al Jazeerareported.
As battles raged across Gaza, Palestine, where the health ministry said on Sunday (May 12) that the death toll since October 7 had topped 35,000, there was widespread panic in the enclave’s southernmost city of Rafah as tens of thousands of people upped sticks and left, fearing an imminent Israeli invasion, as perNBC News.
“That’s more than the average American makes in a year,” TikTokerLife Of Mariesaid as she pointed to the Met Gala’s ticket price. “And they spend it in one night for a few hours of fun. Eat the rich.”
Content creator Zaya Perysian posted avideoon TikToker where she exclaimed: “Everybody that was at the Met Gala, those b*****s live at the capitol.
“The rest of us? We’re in the sorry-*”s districts, girl.”
She went on to juxtapose the luxurious social gathering with the “thousands of people protesting outside.”
According to the news outlet, groups including students from Columbia University, Baruch College, and New York University converged at Hunter College, after which about 800 demonstrators marched toward the event.
People criticized the cost of attending the Met Gala alongside celebrities flaunting lavish attire, labeling the event as dystopian
— Melissa Stewart (@LissaJoStewart)May 7, 2024
The protests are currently held in multiple universities across the USA, including Yale University, the University of Texas, and the University of Southern California.
Other universities participating in other countries include the University of Geneva in Switzerland, theUniversity of Valencia in Spain, andthe University of Tokyo in Japan.
— Christian Navarro (@navarroc0821)May 7, 2024
“Once again, just like at the Oscars and the Super Bowl, when millions of people in America and in the West were tuned in to yet another pop culture event, the IDF launched another attack against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” TikToker Zaya said.
The IDF stands for the Israel Defense Forces, which is the national military of the State of Israel.
Zaya went on to cite influencers staying silent on the issue out of fear of losing sponsorships before admitting: “My humanity is worth more than any brand deal I could ever get.”
The detachment of the wealthy from pressing political and economic issues was often cited
Image credits:ohamandajane
“A ticket to the met gala was $75,000, the average income needed to buy a house is $110,000,” Caden wrote, adding: “We don’t want to watch your hunger games… we just want a future.”
She added: “And then they’ll have the nerve to try and relate to us on some personal level like they know the average American.”
Amid the Met Gala, the ongoing crisis in Gaza was juxtaposed with the gala’s extravagant spending
Image credits:oh.cal
The subsequent #blockout social media campaign has since gained momentum, and users have been urged to boycott celebrities who have remained silent on the humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
Madeline Lillian declared onTikTokthat she had decided to block “everyone in the Kardashian family.”
Lady From The Outside launched the campaign last week in a viral TikTokvideowhere she announced: “It’s time for the people to conduct what I want to call a ‘digital guillotine’, a ‘digitine,’ if you will.”
The subsequent #blockout social media campaign has since gained momentum, and users have been urged to boycott celebrities
Image credits:cadenmcdonald54
She continued: “It’s time to block all the celebrities, influencers, and wealthy socialites who are not using their resources to help those in dire need.
According to the recently establishedBlockout.orgwebsite dedicated to the campaign, celebrities subjected to the digital guillotine include Beyoncé and Selena Gomez.
“It’s time to block all the celebrities, influencers, and wealthy socialites who are not using their resources to help those in dire need.”
Image credits:life.of.marie_
The TikToker who launched the campaign said: “It’s time for the people to conduct what I want to call a ‘digital guillotine.'”
Image credits:climate.revolution
Amy has been an active advocate in support of Israel’s invasion of Palestine, often coming under scrutiny for making Islamophobic statements and inciting hate against Arabs.
In November 2023, the 42-year-old comedianposteda cartoon to her Instagram feed depicting people protesting in a crowd holding signs that suggested all people from Gaza were rapists, murderers, and antisemites.
An individual ticket for the Met Gala costs around $75,000, while a 10-seat table starts at $350,000
Image credits:aniston
According to the American Jewish advocacy organizationJewish Voice for Peace, antisemitism is discrimination, targeting, violence, and dehumanizing stereotypes directed at Jews because they are Jewish.
Meanwhile, being an anti-Zionist means opposing the political ideology of Zionism, which resulted in the expulsion of 750,000 Indigenous Palestinians from their land and homes.
“I swear we all live in District 12,” a person commented
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