“I see that way too much on my page and other people’s pages. It’s not a joke, and it’s not funny. It just has to stop.” Skai says.
10 July 2019 by Fachana Techamaneewat
After the devastating news of Disney’s star Cameron Boyce’s death, Jessie co-star Skai Jackson posted a tribute on her Instagram account.
But she had more to say, and shortly, went on Instagram Live to share her feelings with fans.
“Just be thankful for everything that you have. Just please make sure you appreciate people while they’re here and tell them you love them and be nice to people because tomorrow really isn't promised.”
She then brings up the fact that some people leave comments on her social media and on other celebrities’ social media, writing “rest in peace” and condemns them for being insensitive.
“I know you think it's a joke, but I don’t think it's a joke when you guys [comment] rest in peace to people who aren’t dead and thinking its a joke and creating memes about it."
“I see that way too much on my page and other people’s pages. It’s not a joke, and it’s not funny. It just has to stop.”
She goes on to tell her fans to “please don’t take life as a joke.”
“Please don’t joke about it because life can be taken from you like that. As you guys can see."
She ends the video by saying that she’ll try to "keep her head up and stay positive because I know that’s what Cameron would want us all to do.”
What exactly is the R.I.P comment trend?
Some fans think it’s funny to convince the world that a celebrity has passed away. If they can convince enough people to believe that it’s true, they feel a sense of achievement.
There are, unfortunately, many celebrities who have fallen prey to this fake death hoax. This includes Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.
Justin Timberlake spoke out about his death hoax and the stress that comes with it, saying: “It just sucks that my family was so worried about it and Britney's family, too… I seriously got, like, six phone calls from different people in my family — immediately."
Another similar trend to this is when someone asks others to post on their social media page, writing ‘RIP’. Reasons range from wanting an excuse to get out of school or to get them out of a relationship.
It's a trend that went viral back in 2014.
Back then, Descendants star, Dove Cameron spoke out about it in a tweet:
And it’s true.
It could seem like a funny and innocent prank, but to outsiders and to friends and family who are not privy to the prank, imagine what they would feel if they suddenly came across their loved ones' social media and seeing all the RIP comments.
These ‘pranksters’ aren’t often thinking about those who would be hurt or psychologically affected by news of the person’s death. And the truth is, this trend hurts a lot more people than they think.
So let's not hop on this trend.
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Fachana Techamaneewat is a news writer at Exclusive Hollywood and is responsible for researching and writing news articles while providing story updates wherever necessary.
Fun fact: On the weekends, she's an avid writer for practically anything. Her current obsession is the Umbrella Academy, and as of now, is writing a book.
