By Tori Umeda, Jan. 28, 2025
For the last couple of weeks, Los Angeles has been plagued with multiple wildfires such as the Palisades, Eaton, and Hughes fires.
Endless support has poured in for residents and businesses enduring these difficult times. People from and out of California have come to help in various ways. These efforts include volunteering at organizations like the American Red Cross, setting up GoFundMe accounts to help residents rebuild what they’ve lost, and hosting donation drives to offer free essentials, such as food and clothing.
However, some people have been exploiting these disasters. Their apathy has manifested in various ways, such as inciting incidents of arson, using politics to spread conspiracies, and mocking the rich and famous who are also being affected by these fires.
All that invokes hatred and indifference, much more than unity and kindness.
According to CBS News, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrested more than 30 people near the Palisades and Eaton fires over the past week for activities, like looting and arson.
Unfortunately, crimes are not uncommon after a natural disaster. While the police and fire department are preoccupied with other situations — in this case, the wildfires — some individuals will see this as the perfect time to execute their plans and try to get away with it.
Professionals have also considered homelessness and mental health issues as factors to why criminal activity has been rampant during this time, with many of these individuals likely acting out because they feel deeply marginalized from the rest of society.
It doesn’t just bring more destruction to the city overall, but it brings more turmoil for the over 16,000 people who have lost their homes and businesses and the more than 2,000 people who are left without fire insurance to cover the damages. Many of them are now in a similar position to these accused arsonists, as they too are trying to balance both the grief of losing their home, and belongings and managing the fragility of their mental health.
It also adds to the emotional burden of law enforcement and first responders already working tirelessly to manage the situation at hand.
As many people expressed anger at the government for their mishandling of the situation, President Donald J. Trump went onto Truth Social to accuse California Gov. Gavin Newsom of not using the state’s water restoration to prevent the fires from happening in the first place. However, according to BBC News, this claim has been fact-checked and proven false. The fires were caused by significantly high drought levels in Southern California.
Subsequently, Forbes Magazine reported that similar far-right conspiracy theories created by other supporters of Make America Great Again, such as Elon Musk and Bill Ackman, have also gained attention online. Many of these are rooted in hate speech and bigotry, attacking California’s broadly diverse population and its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative.
Despite Trump and many other politicians and influencers saying they are in support of California during this difficult time, they are inciting hatred and division in a situation affecting people of all political ideologies. The only reason they are being vocal about the issue is to gain favor for their far-right political agenda.
Their politicization of the fires is not only very insensitive to the people who have lost everything but also an example of how support for Trump is built on corruption and self-serving propaganda.
As residents have evacuated and watched their homes burn down, some people on the internet have participated in mocking wealthy celebrities who have also found themselves in the same position.
When the fires started reaching celebrity-populated neighborhoods – such as Malibu and the Pacific Palisades – the media has been reporting on public figures who lost their homes and possessions in the flames, which include Tyra Banks, Paris Hilton, and Milo Ventimiglia.
However, many people online have used these celebrities’ roles in the fires to call them out on their privileges. For instance, actress Mandy Moore set up a GoFundMe page to help support her in-laws who had lost their home. Many people online immediately accused Moore of pleading with others for help rather than paying for the relatives’ damages herself. She responded by saying that the accusations are uncalled for and that she and her family have also contributed to the GoFundMe page.
Other celebrities have faced public backlash as well. After losing their home to the fires, reality TV couple Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag were meant to backlash for asking their fans for money donations. Many of them contributed over $100,000 to the donations. However, many saw it as a ploy for the supposedly “rich” couple to profit from the fires. Pratt responded to the backlash, expressing his frustration at people calling him and Montag rich celebrities, and that they live from paycheck to paycheck.
While celebrities have exclusive accessibility to rebuild quicker than others, the gleeful bashing happening online is still distasteful. It not only undermines the celebrities who have been stepping up to help their communities – which includes Jennifer Garner, Jay Leno, and Jamie Lee Curtis –, but it takes the attention away from people who don’t have the same resources they do. Many of them make up 50% of the middle and working classes in California and the United States.
Celebrity or not, that person still is a human being. It is also important to have empathy for those dealing with tremendous grief.
There is no clear answer as to when these fires will finally die down. It’s OK to feel worried about your safety. But what is certain is that divisive politics and inflicting more harm on each other will not fix what has been broken.
Behavior begets behavior. When we are cruel to each other, it becomes harder to conquer the crisis we’re in right now. But when we are kind and willing to work together, our chances of overcoming this catastrophe are higher.
Feature image by Connor Hampton
