Wed Jan 29 19:53:02 UTC 2025: ## Celebrity Tears and Online Spats: Gomez’s Immigration Video Ignites Left-Right and Intra-Left Feuds
**NEW YORK** – Selena Gomez’s emotional Instagram video addressing President Trump’s immigration policies has sparked a firestorm of online debate, dividing not only conservatives and liberals but also progressives themselves. The video, since deleted, showed Gomez visibly upset and expressing sorrow over deportations.
While predictably drawing criticism from Trump supporters, Gomez also faced a backlash from some on the left. Critics accused her of performative activism, questioning the sincerity and effectiveness of her emotional plea. This internal conflict within the progressive movement highlights the challenges of responding effectively to the Trump administration’s controversial actions.
The author argues that the current political climate fosters a culture of online “scorekeeping,” where individuals judge each other’s responses to political events, often leading to unproductive infighting. This echoes the post-9/11 phenomenon of self-censorship surrounding expressions of frivolity or perceived triviality.
The piece concludes by examining the broader phenomenon of celebrities weighing in on political issues via social media, noting that such efforts can be interpreted as either genuine attempts at advocacy or calculated attention-seeking. While acknowledging Gomez’s likely genuine emotion, the author points out the tendency for such actions to devolve into unproductive arguments about who is “doing enough.” The ultimate effect is a distracting and potentially counterproductive internal conflict among those who should be working together.
First Piper 