Should Celebrities Share Their Opinions on Global Conflicts?

Social media apps where posts can stir up controversy. Photo by Tracy Le Blanc via Pexels

Inevitably, our Instagram stories and Twitter feeds are constantly filled with celebrities sharing their opinions. From worldly conflicts to whether the dress is gold and white or black and blue, celebrities have made sure everyone knows what they’re thinking (even though they may have no involvement in the topic).

And yes, celebrities just like us have every right to post whatever they want on social media. But they must proceed with caution, weighing in the fact that they have thousands or even millions of fans who are easily influenced by what they do and a reputation to remain.

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis posted a photo on Instagram to her 5.5M followers of Palestinian children looking up at bombs in the sky with the intent of showing support for Israel during the recent war between Israel and Hamas. The post has since been deleted, but the damage has been done. The photo was originally posted by a Gaza-based photojournalist, Samar Abu Elouf, who captioned the photo, “Palestinian families seek refuge with their children from the northern Gaza Strip to UNRWA schools inside Gaza City, children are afraid of the sound of the bombing who hear it during their presence due to the events on the Strip’s borders.”

It may seem like the meaning of the photo may have been lost in translation, but that theory is discredited by Curtis herself, who tagged Elouf’s account in her post. Whether or not Curtis posted this photo knowing the children in the photo were Palestinian children or not, the unclear message with misinformation to a large number of fans is irresponsible as a public figure.

People who saw this post from Curtis took to social media to express their anger with her. @Danger_chan09 shared a post on X that said, “Whosoever blindly supports Zionist Israel and enjoys it has so much blood on their hands (yeah, I'm looking at you, Jamie Lee Curtis).”

In a case like Curtis’, the entire situation could have been avoided. The damage far exceeds the benefits of posting about such a controversial topic with sensitive and evolving information. Yet, it’s apparent Curtis doesn't think her image is threatened due to many political posts afterward.

This is unfortunate because there isn’t any incontestable malintent in Curtis’ political posts. Of her most recent posts, some of them are about protecting all children, not just those in Israel or Palestine. She posted a photo with text saying, “I love all children. I love Palestinian children. I love Israeli children. I love American children. Protect all children.” The comments were turned off on this post, suggesting she received backlash, but it seems like this is her most uncontroversial post yet.

In a case like Curtis's’ where it is apparent the celebrity is passionate about the issue, it’s morally difficult to preach that she shouldn’t share as much as she does. However, in a case like Justin Bieber’s, he should steer clear of preaching about, or should I say, reposting about, worldly conflicts.

On Oct. 11, Bieber reposted a photo on his Instagram story from the account @Churchome of a destroyed city with the text, “Praying For Israel.” After becoming aware that the destroyed city was the Gaza Strip, the singer with 292M followers deleted the post and posted a blank screen with the text, “Praying For Israel.”

Although this should go without saying, celebrities, just like everyone else, should be informed about what they’re posting. Both of these examples are careless mistakes that could have been avoided if they had taken a few minutes to read about what exactly they were sharing with their sizeable following.

X user @stunningstelmg shared, “[Justin Bieber] posted a picture of Gaza burned down and thought it was Israel. When he learned it was Gaza, he deleted it and didn’t even apologize or speak about the genocide happening.”

The power and responsibility celebrities hold can be used to advocate for important issues and spread awareness. Still, when the power is used carelessly, disaster may strike. Supporters of these celebrities may have reposted these images, assuming they fact-checked what they shared with millions and millions of fans. Blindly adopting the views of your favorite celebrities can create a chain reaction of misinformation, discrediting the celebrities themselves and becoming a part of the falsity.