Since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that there would be a nationwide lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, we’ve noticed a few things: There have been far fewer car accidents; fewer reports of break ins, and fewer alcohol-related hospitalizations.
While certain trends are on their way down, I couldn’t help but notice that the lockdown has contributed to the rise of something else: an alarmingly high number of celebrity beefs.
That’s right, since the lockdown, South Africa has documented a record number of online disputes between local celebrities and the trend is continuing even as we write this – Black Coffee and Euphonik are double downing on Prince Kaybee on the timeline. It’s ugly.
Who’s Fighting Who?
Last week it was AKA and Sizwe Dhlomo. The week before that it was Tito Mboweni and John Steenhuisen. This week, Prince Kaybee, Euphonik, Black Coffee and even your go-to-finance guy, Koshiek Karan found themselves embroiled in a heated debate about the necessity of buying property; what makes a celebrity; DJ-ing for free, and a number of other topics.
The latest chapter exploded to life on Thursday when Prince Kaybee and Black Coffee exchanged insults:
Lockdown Tensions
To the untrained eye, this might appear to be nothing more than another celebrity quarrel between two egos that want to come out on top. However, if you take a closer look you’ll notice that with every passing week since the lockdown began, celebrities have been trading more and more insults as the weeks go by.
It’s not an entirely strange phenomenon either. The phrase “Cabin Fever” is described as “Lassitude, irritability, and similar symptoms resulting from long confinement or isolation indoors during the winter.” It makes sense that after a lengthy period of feeling cooped up inside, tensions are frayed and nerves are at their ends resulting in more conflict during this time.
How Can Our Industry De-Stress?
The entertainment industry as a whole is under a lot of pressure. A lot of entertainers have seen their income supplies cut off because of the lockdown. We’ve seen high profile breakups and divorces and general negativity is rife right now.
While the beefs have been entertaining, they could point at greater underlying pressures. Pyschologists have warned:
“You might find relaxation in confined spaces difficult. Think about what you can do to make a space calmer; is it through music, lighting or temperature? Look for simple breathing exercises on YouTube and try to practice in a peaceful place.”
“Remember there are things you can’t control, including other people’s behaviour during this time. They may not follow social distancing guidelines or behave selfishly in supermarkets. Angry responses will only hurt yourself and your loved ones, not others.”
Do you think that Lockdown is contributing to a rise in celebrity beefs?
1 comment
Lockdown is honestly contributing to the beef’s….everyone not only celebrities are in destress. Imagine people who live from hand to month😥😥😥😥😥no-one was intensively prepared for this lockdown. Not only celebrities but we all going through the most…….