every time you bring up the fact that olivia rodrigo could have said something to denounce the harassment, death threats, slut shaming, now homophobia and the mocking of sexual assault her fans brought on joshua bassett and sabrina carpenter you’re always met with “it’s not her responsibility” and “she doesn’t have to do that” or “it wouldn’t have done anything”
and i guess to an extent that can be true, but the thing is, as a public figure, as someone who has influence, there is a level of responsibility that you have to ensure the environment you’re creating is safe for all of your fans. not just some of them. all that aside, it’s simply the right thing to do. asking your fans to stop harassing people and stop sending them death threats is basic human decency. and by not publicly denouncing that kind of behavior, you are complicit in and enabling the homophobia, slut shaming, harassment, death threats, and the mockery of someone else’s very real trauma. i’ve seen smaller creators do more, for less. i’ve seen smaller creators and influencers online tell their fans and followers not to hate on a person even if they just disagreed over a stupid irrelevant topic. like it’s not hard to ask people to be respectful of boundaries.
people aren’t hung up over the fact that she’s not in control over her fans’ behavior. people are upset because it’s the fact that she didn’t even try to stop it. that’s why people are mad. whatever happens after you put out a statement denouncing vile behavior like that is out of your hands, but it’s the fact that she never once even put in the effort to acknowledge that people were going too far. and still hasn’t. the entire situation was handled so poorly, and it just leaves such a bad taste in my mouth.
you can go as hard as you want for her, but no matter how good you think her singing is or how good you think her lyricism is, it doesn’t exempt her from the very valid criticisms of the way this has been handled, and it does not absolve her from accountability. there is something very disturbing in the way that her and her team have enabled the dehumanization of two other people. that’s all i have to say.
i’ve been through heartbreak. i’ve hurt the same way she has, but i would never want people harassing my ex over it. as someone who’s been on the receiving end of harassment and death threats, it’s not something to take lightly. they’re not jokes. it’s not funny. it’s terrifying, and you lose any sense of security you felt you had. there is nothing worse than feeling unsafe in your own home. and my experiences were nowhere near the level at which sabrina and josh experienced it.
i just can’t even fathom the thought process behind thinking that kind of behavior some of y’all exhibited is justified. it’s childish, and it’s just pathetic. some of you need to grow up.
yousharknotpass
pixelskylines
romaincrisis
snowghoul
theartofmadeline
