On Monday night, after Ariana Grande’s concert at Manchester Arena, a bomb went off. 22 people were killed and 59 people were injured. As people prayed for the victims and their families, one question was asked many times: “Where’s Ariana Grande in all this?”
The answer? None of your business.
Some of her fans died coming to see her. That isn’t her fault, of course, but she’s going to feel like it is, because they were there for her. It’s traumatizing, and none of us can begin to imagine what it feels like. She’s not guilty in any of this, but she’s going to feel an immense amount of guilt. People begging her to make statements will not help whatsoever.
People are spending more energy tweeting at her to make a comment or making memes out of this incident than spreading pictures of missing children or sending positive energy towards the victims’ loved ones. People are questioning where she is rather than stating and spreading the true facts. This is ridiculous, uncalled for, and a double standard. You can say “people have died” and call on her to speak up, but people have died and you’re sitting around tweeting her to speak up.
Ariana broke her silence and tweeted:
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/866849021519966208
Somehow, people still had a problem like that. Her fans and friends continued to tweet at her that it wasn’t her fault, but there were outliers in the replies who argued that it was her fault.
And then, when reports came that she was ending her Dangerous Woman tour and wanted to end her career— people got upset. No matter what you feel, this is her choice to make. She is traumatized and in shock, and it is no one’s right to police her and beg her to speak up and then shoot her down when she does.
So pray for the families and friends of the victims, pray for those injured, pray for those traumatized, including Ariana Grande. And while you pray, you can leave her the hell alone.
