This may be a controversial post. I guess any topic with the word "racism" will be controversial. However, I'm sick and tired of seeing Twitter be the hub of accepted hate in the social networking world. Now Twitter can't take all of the credit for being a shelter for verbal haterade---let's give Facebook some credit too. However, I'm seeing the verbal attacks appearing more on Twitter than any other social networking website.
The sad tragic killing of Trayvon Martin has brought to light once again the debate on racism in America. Americans are now having that discussion about the perception of Blacks in this country. It reminds me of the time during the Rodney King beating how polarized we were in our opinions on race. I would expect there to be a very heated debate about what Whites think about Trayvon's death compared to Blacks. I've noticed though---for the most part---many Whites agree that Trayvon's death was a senseless killing by a very ignorant man who used racial profiling as a way to justify his actions and narrow in on the teenage victim.
While looking through my Facebook news feed, a friend posted an article about misinformed fans of the popular best selling book "The Hunger Games" that premiered last Friday in movie theaters. Apparently fans of the books went to Twitter to express their discontent for the Black actors in the film played by Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, and Dayo Okeniyi. The disillusioned fans believed that the characters Cinna, Rue, and Thresh were all White. For those fans that took to Twitter with their racial rants looked like complete morons when they allegedly read the novels and felt the need to correct the casting director in their choices.
Okay first of all---I read the Hunger Games before I even knew who was cast in the film. It was very clear that the character of Rue was black. It was mentioned not once, but twice that she has dark skin and brown eyes. Second of all the author of the books Suzanne Collins helped write the screenplay and was also a consultant on the film. Wouldn't this be a major gaffe on her part if the film incorrectly depicted the ethnic background of the characters?
Someone was clever enough to create a Tumblr Page to point out how ignorant these tweeters really sound ---thanks @HazelGoddess for sending me that link.
Bottom line is this. Let's get over bigotry people. Life is too short to hate. Fill up that time and space with love instead--you'll be surprised how better you feel. As for Twitter and other social networking sites for that matter, there has got to be a way to filter out the hate. I'm not saying ban someone's 1st Amendment right, but simply fizzle out malicious hatred that serves no purpose and no meaning behind its message. Let's have a little integrity Twitter. It can't be that hard to do.
