black lives matter

Is it just us or is 2020 the year of the Karen? It seems that this cursed year has somehow emboldened entitled women despite all the 'Karen' backlash that we're not ashamed to admit we've enjoyed. Between the coronavirus pandemic and recent protests against police brutality, every Karen has something to say. And it's usually a massively combination of offensive, entitled, and ignorant garbage. This mix of Karen content covers all of those bases - with a few memes thrown in for a light chuckle. 

When we covered the St. Louis "gun couple" (also known as Ken and Karen) we weren't sure if they'd be able to compete with the Shredded Cheese Sad Wife. But it turns out that waving dangerous weapons on a palatial estate gives a meme some longevity.  In the wake of their viral moment, the couple (Mark and Patricia McCloskey) have made a statement explaining that they support Black Lives Matter, and that the aggressors they were afraid of were white. Their claims have done nothing to stop memers from photoshopping the personal injury lawyers into images from popular games and making parodies of movie posters. And we're definitely not complaining.

Well, folks, it seems there's a new Bonnie and Clyde in town. Except they're wealthy gun-wielding lawyers who epitomize froth-mouthed Karens. The couple in question (they're being called Ken and Karen) was filmed threatening Black Lives Matter protesters outside their lavish home in St. Louis, Missouri.

The personal injury lawyers, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, claim they were told that the "angry mob" would kill them and their dog, and destroy their property. The protesters, who were keeping to the streets, have said that's ridiculous. And St. Louis University lawyer John Amman says their actions could be classified as assault as the demonstrators did nothing to threaten the angry couple. We're eagerly awaiting to see how this unfolds, but in the meantime there are tons of memes being made about this wannabe Mr. and Mrs. Smith. So we'll leave ya to 'em.

Frustrated individuals have been protesting all over the country in search of justice for George Floyd and other black victims of racist police departments. There have been numerous vigils and memorial services for both Floyd and Breonna Taylor in recent weeks, and it seems that House Democrats felt they should do something meaningful themselves. Unfortunately, their idea was to don Kente cloth stoles while taking a knee for the 8 minutes and change that Floyd had a knee to the neck - which ultimately killed him. 

The move, which was paired with the announcement of the  "Justice in Policing Act of 2020," has been dismissed by many as a shallow and empty PR display. Other people find it straight up disrespectful, with Obianuju Ekeocha dismissing the use of Kente as a prop in their virtue signalling. But most tweets focus on the absurd hilarity of dems playing dress up. And they're pretty damn funny.

As anti-racism protests continue to be held around the United States following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, many people are receiving some serious education in the area of race relations and the way police treat people of color. Given the climate, comic Kenny DeForest thought it was the right time to share this story from 2015. Dave Chappelle was a surprise guest at one of DeForest's shows at the Knit in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the crowd (who may have been hoping for a standard set) received a sobering and eye-opening story about the history of black people and police in the US. By the end, even people who initially made light of his tale were humbled and grateful for the experience. It feels very relevant right now, and is a testament to the fact that it is possible to change minds.

Problematic Youtube star Logan Paul doesn't have the best track record where ethics are concerned. Between his controversial Suicide Forest video from 2017 and some offensive views on homosexuality, Logan Paul was pretty low on our list of people who might be able to make a difference in the Black Lives Matter movement. But the elder Paul brother has surprised most of the internet with a passionate and sincere episode of 'Impaulsive' that decries police brutality and bluntly states that "America is racist."

Logan Paul and his co-hosts spend the episode explaining the explosive situation at hand, and the problem of racism within the police force. They applaud protesters for destroying Confederate monuments and beg followers to take action against racism. The most widely praised moment of the hour-long episode is when Paul confesses to his audience: "Listen closely. One of my biggest learnings from all of this and I am embarrassed that it has taken me 25 years to realize this: It is not enough to be 'not racist'. You have to be anti-racist."

Those are some powerful words to relay to an audience of over 2.26 million. And it's a much better message than the one left by his younger brother, Jake Paul, who was filmed with looters in Arizona. Logan's choice to urge his audience to do better is a move we admire - and one that many people of Twitter seem to admire, too.

As the country nears a week of protests following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police, there's been an influx of people and brands showing their support on social media. #BlackoutTuesday, which happened yesterday, was probably the largest show of virtual solidarity yet. The "movement," which was mostly on Instagram and Twitter, called for the "muting" of usual programming such as work promotions, art, and lifestyle posting. To show support, many people and brands began posting black squares to their timelines, as an attempt to highlight black voices and information regarding police brutality. Early in the day there was a backlash regarding the apparent censorship of these very voices - it seemed many social users were hashtagging #Blacklivesmatter and creating a literal blackout of important movement information. But as @RespectableLaw, a progressive lawyer who supports working families, pointed out in a fascinating Twitter thread, there are other problems with the squareposting.

Many big brands, from Nike to Microsoft, were eager to adopt the passive show of support. At first glance, it's nice to see corporations take the side of the people who make them profitable. @RespectableLaw, however, took to Twitter to show how many of these brands have extremely shady and inhumane business practices. Most of them have used child labor. There may not be such a thing as ethical consumption right now, but it's important to realize that brands are not your friends - and they have a lot of work to do before their passive shows of solidarity are taken seriously,.