Selena Gomez Candidly Condemned the Capitol Riot: ‘It Felt Like Someone Was Pissing All Over Our History’
Selena Gomez first found fame as a young girl, in light-hearted roles on Barney and Friends and the Disney Channel. But since then she’s gone through significant health struggles and personal upheaval. Today she’s a mature 28-year-old woman with an ever-growing understanding of the world.
In the 2020 presidential election, Gomez voted for the first time in her life. She’s become more politically aware over the last few years, and now she encourages people to take part in their civic duty and vote. Her newfound respect for the democratic process made the events on January 6 even more difficult for her to watch.
Selena Gomez has had a political awakening
Insider reports that Gomez admitted last year that she’d never voted before the 2020 election. People were surprised because she would have been old enough to vote in the previous two elections. But back then, she didn’t really believe that her vote mattered. Over the last few years she’s become increasingly politically active, and these days, she sees things in a different light.
“Then once I really, really started going in and diving into this, it’s been all I can focus on,” she said about her new political awareness. The 2020 presidential election had the largest voter participation in the history of the US. But whether they voted or not, people across the country and around the world were shocked by what happened on January 6.
The Capitol riot
According to NPR, former President Donald Trump and his supporters disputed the results of the election, claiming that fraud was responsible for handing President Joe Biden the win. On January 6, the day that Congress was scheduled to certify the electoral college votes, a rally was held in Washington D.C. to support Trump.
Thousands of people who attended this rally marched to the US Capitol building. They breached the barriers and security checkpoints, forcing their way inside. In the chaos and violence that followed, five people died, including Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick.
Congress was forced to evacuate and go into lockdown. The vote to certify the election results was delayed, but once the riot was under control, lawmakers returned to complete their duty. And America struggled to understand what had just happened.
Selena Gomez’s reaction to the riot
Shortly after January 6, Gomez sat down for an interview with Vogue, and she said that when she saw the events unfold that day in Washington D.C. she cried. “It felt like someone was pissing all over our history. It’s just anarchy. There’s been a complete division,” she said.
She also turned her attention toward social media and what she feels is their part in the attack. She posted on Twitter that CEOs such as Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Jack Dorsey, and more have “failed the American people.” Social media platforms, she said, should be used to bring people together, not by those with “hate in their hearts.” She believes that the social media giants should do more to prevent the spread of disinformation.
Gomez isn’t the only American who is struggling to understand the events on January 6. With her newfound political awareness, she’s determined to do what she can to push back against the forces that threaten the nation. She’s been determined to be open with her fans about her life for a long time, and this latest fight is no exception.
