racism

It looks like rich white celebrities have learned absolutely nothing from the Gal Gadot 'Imagine' video's backlash. While that controversial John Lennon sing-along was about the coronavirus pandemic, today's cringey video is an attempt by actors like Aaron Paul, Stanley Tucci and Julianne Moore to address racism. The video features the actors (and KeSha) "taking responsibility" for their roles in turning a blind eye to racism at home and in the workplace. While the sentiment is hard to argue with, the video is being ridiculed for being a tone deaf performative display of "wokeness." And we have to admit that it's hard to feel moved by rich and privileged actors reading from a script. Though we hope this is the last celebrity video of its kind, it's hard to help being amused by the tweets that mock the clip. And we've put a whole lot of 'em together right here.

While protests for racial justice take place all across America in the wake of George Floyd's murder, celebrities offer their thoughts and words of encouragement. One such celebrity, Billy Ray Cyrus, took to Twitter to post a photo of himself looking rather pensive with the caption, "Much to think about." We're pretty sure BRC meant for the tweet to be meaningful, but that doesn't mean it ain't cringey AF. Scroll down to see some of our favorite reaction tweets and memes!

As protesters continue to march through the streets for racial justice, the general public has started to wake up to the realities of policing in America. This Twitter thread, written by University of Florida writing professor Sean Trainor, details a night he spent shadowing a police officer classmate, only to discover just how corrupt the system is.

Let's just say, if you were undecided on the policing system before, this thread might make up your mind.

If you had told us on January first that by June we'd be battling a pandemic, racism & police brutality, and trying to celebrate Pride at the same time, we'd think you were on drugs. But we'd be extremely wrong. All of the above are happening, and it's all pretty overwhelming. But when the going gets tough and crazy, memers tend to respond with topical bits of spicy humor. And honestly, that's helping us through right now.

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.

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. 

Remember the Apocalypse Bingo memes? They just seem to get more fitting every single day. In this particular installment of horrendous 2020 memes, we've got COVID-19, Anonymous, Ebola's return, and now...drum roll please... mass protests! Have fun!

You know how some people laugh when they're nervous or anxious? Yeah, that's us right now with these memes. 2020's latest little surprise for us has been protests and riots in response to the tragic murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Accordingly, people have taken to the streets of major cities to protest police brutality and racism toward Black Americans. No one really knows what this all will amount to...revolution? More major government crackdowns? Whatever it is, we just want y'all to be safe.

And of course, if you plan to join the protests, be careful and wear a mask, because COVID-19 hasn't forgotten about us!

Harriet, a biopic about Harriet Tubman, was just released earlier this month to favorable reviews, but apparently not everyone had the same ideas about exactly who should portray the American hero.

Screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard stated in an interview with Focus Features that one studio executive suggested that Julia Roberts, a white actress, should play Harriet Tubman. When someone else chimed in about what an absurd idea that would be, the same exec replied, "It was so long ago, no one is going to know the difference." We wish we were joking about this but alas.

Additionally, we would say that this news is positively absurd, but then again, nothing in the news is really surprising anymore, is it?

There are some people in the world who just can never take responsibility for their actions. Everyone is always out to get them and they're always being "wronged" in some way. Can't possibly be that they're the one acting like an a-hole, right? 

This particular dude, "George," left a scathing Yelp review after he visited an axe-throwing facility and claimed that the employee serving his party was acting in a discriminatory manner toward his friend. After the manager replied to his review, it was immediately evident that "George" left out a pretty good chunk of the story!

Who knew the answer to huge problems in our society were actually so simple! This meme, known as "Well Boys, We Did It" which features the penguins from the movie Madagascar, sarcastically offers solutions to big cultural problems like racism, sexism and bullying with ideas that'll make you yell out, gee why didn't I think of that!

And as always, head over to Know Your Meme to keep updated on all things memes!

It's Tuesday after the Academy Awards and people are still buzzing about Green Book's controversial Oscar win. Prior to receiving the gold statue, its writer apologized for anti-Muslim sentiment, Viggo Mortensen idiotically used the N-word, and we were (rightfully) reminded of Peter Farrelly's sexual misconduct. The director seems to have a habit of showing people his dick.

The film is considered the "whitest" black film at the Awards ceremony, and many people are wondering why a movie that's basically about a white man (The incredible Dr. Don Shirley's driver) is being lauded as such a black success story. Especially when considering the wealth of black-made films that were up for awards. The shallowness of this choice is even more painful when you realize it was up against If Beale Street Could Talk, a film based on James Baldwin's novel of the same name. He is a legendary painter of the black experience. 

While opponents made their opinions known on all channels, the sass was loudest on Twitter, where people have funneled their disgust and skepticism into memes. The most successful have been comparing the film to the kind of white friend that loudly proclaims their allyship in a misguided and somewhat shallow way. The memes may not change the brains of the Academy, but they'll definitely make sure that people know where we're at.