North Texas Daily

It’s safe to say this year has been nothing short of unpredictable. We have all put our lives on hold in hopes that staying home will help lessen the harsh realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there was one event that not even a global pandemic could put a stop to: Kim Kardashian’s 40^th birthday.

Kardashian took to Twitter on Oct. 27 in an attempt to inform her millions of followers about how she and her close friends and family quarantined in preparation for her birthday trip. The group traveled to a private island where they spent a week at a private resort without having to worry about contracting COVID-19 and so they could pretend like everything was back to normal for a brief moment in time. Shortly after, she became a meme.

The reality star chartered a luxury private jet to the island where they were the only guests. Kardashian and her family took to social media to post pictures of themselves on the beach, snorkeling and partying without a single mask in sight.

239,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. with 18,000 of those deaths from California alone, according to the Center for Disease Control. California has imposed restrictions that require anyone that travels to self-quarantine for two weeks and all non-essential travel to not permitted except within the U.S.

The concern of safety is not the problem here. It is clear that Kardashian and her family and friends will most likely not contract the virus and even if they did, they would have the resources and the means to most likely make a healthy recovery. The reality of the situation is that millions of Americans and people around the world are struggling financially and will not have the access to that kind of healthcare.

Many online were quick to criticize the tone-deafness of Kardashian’s post, saying that her post was insensitive when so many people have died from COVID-19. According to Insider.com, the party was estimated to have cost over $2 million, according to Insider.com. The biggest cause for concern was that this money could have been used elsewhere or could have gone to people who actually need it instead of on a trip in the middle of the pandemic.

The Kardashians are no strangers to controversy and this is just a drop in the bucket of moments when they were tone-deaf and insensitive. Perhaps people would not have minded if Kim had not posted anything to begin with. Traveling in a luxury plane to a private island for a week is not exactly the “humbling” experience Kardashian claims it was.

It is odd that Kardashian chose to share how luxurious and extravagant her birthday was in a time where millions of people around the world are facing financial struggles. However, that is also how she made her career.

While Kardashian did mention in her original tweet how she was aware of how privileged her life is, the message did not seem as genuine when followed up with pictures of the Kardashians posing on the beach and partying.

These displays of extravagance were once probably entertaining to see on Instagram. However, people are seemingly tired of celebrity’s insensitivity when they are in positions where they could make a difference. Perhaps Kardashian is unaware that people feel this way or maybe she was thinking any publicity is good publicity.

Now more than ever everyone deserves to feel happiness even if just for a short while. However, it is disheartening to see someone flaunting luxury when so many are suffering. Maybe the private island should have been kept private.

Featured Illustration by Miranda Thomas