Was Ellen's tweet really racist?

[Propertyquandry]

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I'm really surprised at the outrage over this. I cannot even see how it can be seen as casual racism. He's just been declared, once again, as the fastest man on the planet. Everybody loves him and she makes a joke basically alluding to the fact that he'd get her where she wants to go quicker than anything else. He even retweeted it, and not at all in a negative way. All the talk of riding him like a mule. It's a mock up of him giving her a piggy back ffs! It seems if he was white or she was black it would be ok.

I suppose the test is whether she'd have posted exactly the same photo and comment if he was white, which I could imagine she would.

It had never even crossed my mind that people wouldn't know who Ussain Bolt is. But if someone doesn't then it makes much more sense that they'd see racist connotations to the picture and comment.

As others have said, isn't it racist to see this in terms of black and white rather than just seeing it as two people.

maybe the racists are the ones who see this as a race issue?

This is tedious though. Some people will find it racist. Some people won't

Some of the people who are offended by it will be Black. Their offence will be down to their life experiences, not because they are racist

You don't have to agree with them. It doesn't make them racist. It doesn't make them 'looking for offence'. It just means they have a different opinion to you

isn't it racist to see this in terms of black and white rather than just seeing it as two people.

No

To me it looks like a non-racist joke that has obvious racist interpretations and should never have been anywhere near Twitter.

I think it is racist for white people to tell black people what racism is.

I don't think Ellen is racist but this is pretty misjudged considering america's history..it made me cringe.

I think it is racist for white people to tell black people what racism is.

The flaw in this comment wrt this story is that you don't know the ethnicity of posters and black people have tweeted about the photo not being offensive or racist.

considering america's history

But it is interesting that Bolt himself wasn't offended given Jamaica's history is one of slavery.

It's not interesting really soup
People are different/have different life experiences. Black people are not The Borg

considering america's history

I don't think it's the history that's the problem. If this tweet had gone out a few years ago it wouldn't have been controversial. It's misjudged because of the current racial tension and issues, not the past ones.

It's neither interesting nor surprising that one black man might disagree with other black peoplw about a joke being racist, particularly a joke that was made by his friend.

I think it is racist for white people to tell black people what racism is.

Well I'm black and I don't see it as being at all racist.

I think American's not knowing who Bolt is is far more shocking than this picture. I bet they know who Michael Phelps is...

Well I'm black and I don't see it as being at all racist.

LOL touché

Sorry, what's the reference for most Americans not knowing who Bolt is? You know this how exactly?

You know this how exactly?

Assumptions based on low Olympic viewership and American myopia in general.

I like sports and I thought he was British.

Of course they know Phelps, Phelps is American.

I don't think Ellen intended it to be racist, and if Usain Bolt retweeted it then perhaps he didn't, and I'm glad it wasn't hurtful or offensive to him.

I do think it's questionable and ill-timed though, considering current tensions. The phrase about "running errands" with her on his back does have a resonance of domestic servitude, which is unfortunate. But I'm a British white person, so it's not really my place to tell an American black person how to feel about it.

I think American's not knowing who Bolt is is far more shocking than this picture. I bet they know who Michael Phelps is...

Not sure it's that shocking, possibly on account that one swims for the US and the other runs against them, for Jamaica?

I don't need to read links explaining to me that as a white woman I may fail to pick up on more subtle forms of racism. I get that that may be the case. But this isn't anything close to that.
If she had posted a picture of herself hugging Obama from behind and stating now things can get done around here. Would people assume she meant the menial jobs would be done by the black man or maybe that all she meant was that now she's mates with POTUS, she can finally get stuff done? I think most people would see Obama the most powerful man in the world rather than Obama the black man. I think this is exactly the same.

The outrage on this is coming from white people saying that this is racist and being offended on black people's behalf. Most of the comments on the various versions of this story are from African Americans saying they are not offended and Ellen isn't racist.

Jamaica might have been built up by the slave trade but it's completely different from America. It's a black run country. Black people have all sort of jobs, they aren't just a token extra on tv, they don't have the same problems African Americans have with regards to how they see themselves. You aren't brought up to think you can't do something because you're not white, you aren't stopped and searched Because you're black or shot... Usain bolt hasn't been brought up thinking he's second best and thats why IMO, he isn't offended about this tweet where as some Americans are.

(Jamaica has got a lot of problems especially economic but there's a big difference in self worth Jamaicans have compared to black Americans)

The worry is that some (many?) white people may see it in the wrong way, not as in bad racist, or as the people involved, but as a white woman riding a black man.

As such, Ellen could have thought twice and decided against it.

That's not fucking racist...

She's messing about saying she wants to get her errands done fast!. Ffs. Some people need to get a grip.

But it is a white woman riding a black man!

That can't be denied, and not should it be. It's just that they are superfluous facts. It's a meme showing someone hitching a lift from the fastest person in the planet to enable her to get her errands done quicker. People are reading stuff into it when the actual meaning is far from ambiguous. It's clear as day what's going on. He's Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt!!! Anyone hitching a lift on his back is doing it cause he's amazingly fast; and cool as a cucumber too!

It's just that they are superfluous facts.

You think they are superfluous.

But others do not.

As was entirely predictable.

For some people it can never be superfluous when a white person jokes about using a black man as a pack animal.

For some people it can never be superfluous when a white person jokes about using a black man as a pack animal

Yes, this
And rather than getting angry at these people, why can't you just appreciate that you haven't grown this perception

She didn't use the term mule or anything else similar, others did. If he was her husband and she tweeted an actual photo of him giving her a piggy back, would that also be offensive? Or would the facts be allowed to stand as superfluous then?