Online coverage of the celebrities whose houses have burnt down in the horrendous Los Angeles wildfires this week was met by a dismaying but predictable symbol: the laughing emoji.
Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and Adam Brody are among the stars reported to have lost their Californian homes in affluent neighbourhoods of the city, like Pacific Palisades.
James Woods even broke down in tears on CNN describing the destruction of his property.
But while some of the people posting comments on social media extended compassion, what sympathy could be found was muted – along the lines of ‘It’s sad, but what about others who are not rich and famous’ – and overshadowed by a deluge of schadenfreude.
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‘Awwww poor rich people,’ wrote one follower of the BBC News Facebook page. ‘Lol good, zero sympathy for rich celebs,’ added another.
‘Can you imagine losing your 4th house! Must be hard. Thoughts and prayers,’ posted a third.
There were many ironic references to setting up Go Fund Me campaigns, while some of the responses claimed that the LA celebrities lamenting the burning of their properties were responsible for their misfortune.
‘Meh, hard to feel sympathy for those who create and benefit from the policies that result in these kind of disasters,’ said one Facebook user.
This dismissive – even gleeful – reaction to Hollywood A-listers losing their homes is disheartening, but not surprising: look at the trolling that followed the loss of the Titan sub, for example.
It seems that some of us love to see the rich suffer.
True, millionaires won’t face homelessness like many of the ‘normal people’ whose homes have been destroyed by wildfires. They’ll spend the coming nights trying to recover in comfortable second homes, high-end rental properties or five-star hotel suites, not in shelters, or camped out on relatives’ couches.
In the weeks and months that follow, they can try and process their trauma with expensive therapists, while others face more pressing concerns about how to survive and rebuild.
But the loss of precious, irreplaceable items and keepsakes – a newborn’s first outfit, children’s cherished toys, holiday souvenirs, and gifts from loved ones – is still painful, regardless of the size of your bank balance.
All the money in the world can’t replace a lock of your baby’s hair, or the diary of a deceased parent.
It’s just as frightening to have to pack up and leave at a moment’s notice in fear of your life, regardless of whether you’re running from an eight-bedroom mansion or a more modest duplex apartment.
Fire doesn’t respect class, wealth or fame.
And it seems that a large proportion of the public not only doesn’t respect, but positively revels in, loss, adversity and trauma, if it’s happening to the rich and famous.
True, it’s a weird feeling for most of us to sympathise with people like Paris Hilton, as we grind out our unexciting jobs to pay mortgages or rent on our unglamorous homes in places that are not glitzy LA enclaves.
And James Woods’ comment that ‘one day you’re swimming in the pool and the next day it’s all gone,’ is not the most relatable tale of tragedy to many.
But some things – like fear for your safety, attachment to a home, or family mementos and memories – are universal. And the pain, loss and terror that come from a disaster like the deadly California wildfires extend beyond social status, fame and wealth.
Of course, losing a home means something different if you have another (or several). But still, seeing the place you may have lived in, raised a family in and made memories in for years reduced to a pile of ash is horrendous.
News stories like this expose an ugly side of our culture. For all that we bandy around the ‘be kind’ message, the seething jealousy that some feel of the 1% erupts when the over-privileged are in peril.
It’s not simply that we recognise that the loss of property is more serious for a poorer person than a richer one. It’s that some publicly celebrate and bask in the suffering of the wealthy: ‘Their lives might be better than mine the rest of the time, but for now I can delight in their adversity. Ha!’
Paris Hilton has talked a lot about online trolling, and the mockery of online haters will likely be the last thing on her mind today.
But while the loss that she and her high-net-worth neighbours are facing should be seen in context, let’s afford them grace and human sympathy, rather than gloating over their predicament.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
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