Black Lives Matter’s Shaun King Says Racism on Twitter Is Out of Control
Racial slurs are “so prevalent, so pervasive, that it’s basically impossible to use the service as a person of color” activist writes in op-ed
Jordan Chariton | November 12, 2015 @ 8:07 AM
Last Updated: November 12, 2015 @ 8:13 AM
Shaun King, a Black Lives Matter leader whose race came into question over the summer, is speaking out against “pervasive” racism on Twitter that is so common “it’s basically impossible to use the service as a person of color.”
King, a senior justice writer for the New York Daily News, published a thought-provoking op-ed for the paper on Wednesday, and called for an end to the epidemic of hate speech on the social media platform.
“Racists now post messages on every single hashtag of interest to black folk. Almost always without their real names or faces, racists will use racial slurs in messages to or about people thousands of times per day on Twitter,” he wrote. “It’s so prevalent, so pervasive, that it’s basically impossible to use the service as a person of color and not have to face it down every single day.”
Although King loves Twitter and enjoyed the constructive discussions he participated in during the platform’s early days, he said it’s gotten to the point that he’s “close to praying” before using Twitter.
The activist bemoaned the average day on Twitter, where “hundreds of people send hateful messages to me or about me in one way or another.”
He wrote that he’s blocked over 20,000 Twitter users this year alone and he hardly ever checks his replies because “it’s just too ugly.”
This week, he’s heard from Twitter users who’ve been on the receiving end of racism as part of the social media back and forth over the brewing racial controversy at University of Missouri.
“One young leader canceled her Twitter account altogether because the racist hate and insults were simply not worth it for her,” King wrote. “My wife and many of my family members stopped using the service for the very same reason.”
He concluded that he’s a proponent of free speech but it reaches its limit when social users can’t use a platform they love without being “accosted by racists.”
For me, Twitter is the only service in my life where a racist encounter is guaranteed. If every time I went to the local grocery store I was 100% sure that I would meet an overt racist head on, I’d never visit that grocery store again and would hope that the store would do something to make sure it never happened again.
7 Hollywood Figures Ruined by Racist Rants - Before LA Clippers Controversy
PAULA DEEN: This celebrity chef arguably became more famous after admitting in a deposition that she uttered the N word on multiple occasions during her 67 years of life. The notoriety came with a big price tag, though. TheWrap estimated that the moment of honesty cost Deen $14.5 million in endorsement deals after losing her lucrative Food Network gig.
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MEL GIBSON: This two-time Oscar winner went from aging action hero to falling star when he was pulled over in 2006 for driving under the influence, and then proceeded to blame all of the wars in the world on "f--king Jews." His career never quite recovered, and took another hit in 2010 when a recording of a phone call with his baby's mama, Oksana Grigorieva, hit the web with more racial slurs. Oh, and then there was that profanity-laden rant in front of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas.
DON IMUS: This shock jock made the mistake of referring to the Rutgers women basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" in 2007. As a result, his CBS radio show, "Imus in the Morning," was cancelled. Fortunately for Imus, he was back on the radio waves less than a year later on an ABC station.
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MICHAEL RICHARDS: The once-loveable "Seinfeld" star lost his temper on a heckler at a stand-up comedy show in Los Angeles, and lost a lot of love from fans in the process. A video featuring Richards repeatedly calling the audience member the N word went viral, and his stand-up comedy career went bye-bye.
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JUSTINE SACCO: A public relations executive should probably know better than to publicly joke that white people can't get AIDS. Sacco, however, did just that last December with a single tweet reading, "Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!" After landing in South Africa, she promptly lost her corporate communications job at Barry Diller's media company, IAC.
BRENDAN EICH: Mozilla's Brendan Eich has historically been known as a Silicon Valley power player, and his ascension to CEO of the popular internet service provider surprised nobody. But right after the pen lifted from the paper, it was revealed that Eich gave a $1000 donation in support of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. The fallout was swift and severe: Mozilla employees revolted and OkCupid banned Firefox users from accessing their site. Eich stepped down days later.
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GILBERT GOTTFRIED: The comedian, best known in his later years for lending his signature voice to the Aflac Duck, was silenced by the insurance company in 2011 after Gottfried's finger tips typed out one too many racist jokes following a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
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Only time will tell what consequences await Clippers owner Donald Sterling, but racist rants, bad jokes and N bombs can destroy careers – here’s proof.
PAULA DEEN: This celebrity chef arguably became more famous after admitting in a deposition that she uttered the N word on multiple occasions during her 67 years of life. The notoriety came with a big price tag, though. TheWrap estimated that the moment of honesty cost Deen $14.5 million in endorsement deals after losing her lucrative Food Network gig.