“You’re a cruise blogger, stick to cruising. Don’t shove your politics down our throats. You are a terrorist.”

I’d be lying to say words don’t hurt. But they do, and they have the power to slice and dice in a way that doesn’t reveal physical scars. Words are my livelihood, my driving force. Words are what compel me to create change and express and arrange my inner dialogue into a rabble of letters that might just illicit an emotional response, a giggle, shock or even a tear. Human-generated words are the tools of my professional self.  

Words are my only armament and armour against a torrent of hate. As an Australian-born daughter of 1948 Nakba refugees who loved words from the moment I said them, language and meaning became my way of processing inter-generational trauma. My Palestinian-ness made me a better writer. Over the last 75 years we have had no choice but to become effective communicators else we would have been erased from the global conscience.

My Jido (Grandfather) Wadieh and Tata (Grandmother) Wadieha

For the last few days, I have been overcome, overwhelmed and rendered almost immobile with anxiety. It’s as if a freezing spell has been cast over me, unable to comprehend and vulnerable to repeated wild and online attacks. I do not like feeling vulnerable. My Palestinian genes are prone to dislike situations which make us feel like the need to do a runner or die is just around the corner. For my father that was the back of a donkey in ’48 by my grandfather who felt vulnerable. I am not weak, meek or shy – and most definitely not a victim - but needed time to digest and then act. 

Expressing my Palestinian-ness (it’s a long word, I know) ought not be something to be expressly excluded from partaking in the influencer economy. All ethnic groups and religious groups deserve the same entitlement, to just be. In a time when my people are subject to a genocide by violence and starvation, expressing myself as a Palestinian is going to involve posting occasional content that affirms the fact.

The only thing I have power to do is write. And so, dear reader, my brain swirled and twirled and finally produced the question I pose below: Should influencers share their thoughts on global events?” 

[Considering influencers live in the world and try to influence things in the world then yes they need to know about events].

(For the purpose of his opinion piece, the word ‘influencer’ is interchangeable with ‘blogger’ ‘personality’ ‘celebrity’. I do not espouse to be any of these labels, but for the sake of brevity, I will use the word ‘influencer’)

The case against - stick to cruising

Ten years ago, I decided to start a community. A cruising community where we shared a love of cruising and a place to talk about all the fun and joy and wonderful memories this mode of travel and vacationing brings to our lives.

I’ve shared thousands of words and photos and videos from my very, very privileged life cruising the world. People from around the world – the majority from Australia – have become my cruising family. For the most part over this decade, the tempo has been positive and uplifting. I’ve been a part of thousands of people’s stories, laughed and cried and shared the pause on  cruising due the pandemic.

Sincerely, I have oft written about my gratitude and support for such a blessing. 

So, why should members of the community built around ONE theme, cruising, be subject to images or words that are about another entirely (and horrendously divisive) world event? 

You come to my platforms for joy and see my latest adventure, salivate over pictures of decadent dishes, laugh at my attempt to ‘Honey Jump’ and even join me on board ships for splendid voyages.

Why should members of a community built around cruising see images of earthquake, famine, war, natural disaster, fires, political movements or tragedy?

Cruising With Honey is place for escapism. I hear you, dear reader and I completely understand.

But, let me now present to you the flip side of the coin, and I urge you to keep reading and absorb the words I’m writing and not apply any preconceived ideas nor attach any tone or bias.

The case for – Cruising With Honey is not just about cruising

My name, or rather my pseudonym, is right there in the title of my blog and social media platforms. I’m not a random ‘person’, my identity is inextricably intertwined in every aspect of the content I share. I’m not the ‘cruising mum’ or ‘the girl that cruises’, I’m Honey -  or Honida (pronounced Hon-ay-da) Abu-Ali Beram. 

You know me by name, by face, by my voice. You know my husband and daughters and mother and father and nephew and best friend Nurse Jo Jo. I’ve shared and overshared just about every aspect of my life. From bullying and harassment to unbelievable travel adventures. You were there right along with me when we ALL fought to bring back cruising to Australia and propped me up when I was so nervous I could vomit before live TV interviews.

I’ve written about my dismay for the war in Ukraine, the bushfires and floods in our country, the fire that destroyed Notre Dame, the volcanic eruptions in NZ, support for marriage equality, so SO many world and political events. And in every single instance the focus has always been on preventing human suffering. And in every instance, your collective response has been of compassion and love, reaffirming my faith in humankind

So, why the absolute complete opposite this week when I have posted about Palestine? My post was thus:

“Stop starving Gaza, stop the genocide. Ready to march for humanity. Proud Australian Palestinian” with a photo of myself dressed in my late grandfather’s keffiyeh (head dress) and a peace sign.

There was no mention of Israel or Hamas or my political beliefs or my opinion. And yet, the comments, oh the comments, over 400 in a day, ripped my heart into fleshy pieces of bloody dismay.

Many of the closest and dearest to me likewise ripped into me. “Why post on your business page?” My confusion and anger grew, “Cruising With Honey is NOT a business, it is part of me, and extension of my life, my identity,” I tried to explain, falling on deaf ears of supposition and accusation.

I posted this picture before going to the now historic March for Humanity across the Sydney Harbour Bridge - attended by 300,000 people – simply to tell my cruising family, that I steadfastly and unequivocally want an end to the horrific death and starvation that we are all watching and witnessing in 4K.

I’ve never hidden the fact that I am Palestinian, born right here in Sydney Australia to refugees. And I’ve never received any backlash or bias or racism from members of Cruising With Honey. It’s just a fact and inconsequential. We are a multicultural nation of immigrants from every part of the world.

Consider if I was from the Ukraine and I posted about the war that has been raging for too long. Would I have received the same backlash as I have posting about my support to end genocide and starvation in Gaza?

Influencers, bloggers, celebrities have a platform, and we have seen countless personalities speak up, including one of the biggest influencers in the world Miss Rachel. Musicians, actors, travel bloggers have flooded social media with their support to end the starvation in Gaza.

But me a Palestinian, not a person from the outside but someone who has an actual connection to the catastrophe, who has shared every other aspect of her life to her community, cannot speak up or share my conviction. How could I not? How could my conscience give me any repose if at this moment of time I blatantly post about my chocolate cake and spa massage. 

I implore you to put yourself in my position and question whether you would stay silent. My waking days and troubled nights are filled with horrors of images of skeletal children. Right now, every person who has a platform has the opportunity to speak up, if they wish, to spread awareness in the hope it will affect change. It is not the time to post about cruising – how tone deaf and heartless would that make me? 

What does it mean to be part of the human race? To have sympathy and compassion not a person who hides behind a keyboard and send message of hate to another person you’ve followed for a decade.

I have been accused of being a terrorist, a terrorist supporter, a villain, one who wishes death and annihilation of an ethnic group. None of that is true. If I had given my opinion or spewed words of hate, or defended any action, then you are warranted to attack me. 

So, should influencers share their thoughts on global events? Unequivocally, in my opinion YES. Cruising With Honey is not just about cruising, it is a forum, a microcosm of society, and sometimes even a type of utopia. 

Do not judge me for being me – a flawed human with convictions and an irrepressible sense of justice. But maybe take the opportunity to look in the mirror and explore why my post triggered you to the point of lyrical warfare. Is there an unconscious bias, racism? Is it fear or supposition? Or is it just hate?

With an open heart I reiterate my obligation to always put humanity first. I mean, what else in life could possibly be more important.