Members of Congress and amused “X” users alike said good riddance to the House’s biggest diva and, most notoriously, biggest fraud in December, following his expulsion from the House of Representatives. But can Gen Z stop their attempts at turning George Santos into a ‘social media icon’ through his, admittedly, memeable moments?
From the $200 personalized Cameo videos young people are flocking to buy to his interview appearance on comedian Ziwe’s YouTube show, George Santos is everywhere. Ziwe is a Black comedian known for her satirical interviews that typically cover politics and pop culture. Her promotion of Santos represented the antithesis of what she claims to stand for: shedding light on the societal issues often caused by whiteness and the patriarchy. George Santos’s undeniably cringey appearance on Ziwe’s show was a terrible move as it only gave him more money and publicity, especially on social media. Rather than asking hard-hitting questions about his controversial history surrounding LGBTQ+ policies and even his racist past, Ziwe chose to focus on frivolous topics like his cosmetic routines.
Despite the pathological lies that resulted in his historic expulsion from the House of Representatives and the numerous legal troubles he has found himself in, he has somehow managed to garner a massive cult-like following from the younger generation. An unnamed Vanderbilt student even commented on Fizz — an anonymous, campus-specific social media platform — saying, “I don’t want George Santos to go to prison bc his cameos are so funny.”
While the memes and social media posts surrounding George Santos have been entertaining, giving publicity to a con man is wrong. The platform that Gen Z is giving Santos is incredibly harmful and glosses over all of his wrongdoings. Not only is he facing up to 23 federal charges, including stealing public funds, fraud, and money laundering, Santos is a known liar. Some of these lies include where he attended college, whether or not he truly worked at Goldman Sachs, his supposed Jewish heritage, claims of his grandmother dying in the Holocaust, and assertions of his mother dying on 9/11 — his mother is still alive. These outrageous lies barely skim the surface of Santos’s facade of a life story.
Whether or not the claims made by Santos are false, the charges he faces for fraud are not. Federal prosecutors have charged Santos with using donor money to fund his OnlyFans viewing, purchases at Hermes, luxury vacations, and even Botox and Ozempic. Prosecutors have also alleged that Santos committed identity theft and even lied during the pandemic to collect unemployment.
While his political career as New York’s 3rd district Congressional Representative was fleeting, it is clear that Santos is not going anywhere. From the forthcoming HBO film portrayal of his life which is based on the recently written biography, “The Fabulist,” to Santos’s highly anticipated autobiography coming out this year, it is undeniable that he has become the celebrity he always wanted to be. “Meme worthy” moments from George Santos certainly helped to bolster his overall social media success.
Santos’s dramatic downfall underscores the unsustainable foundation of his deceitful approach to Washington politics and should serve as a lesson for the younger generation who is placing him on a pedestal, purely because of his shock value. Individuals should be doing the necessary research on politicians and holding elected officials accountable for their wrongdoings. His expulsion from Congress is a necessary reminder of the dangers of using dishonesty to further political gains, and emphasizes the importance of integrous leadership.
Image by Shino Nakamura on Unsplash
