Was Ellen’s Tweet Racist? Her Response
Ellen DeGeneres found herself at the heart of an Olympic sized controversy when she Photoshopped herself into a photo of Usain Bolt.
The original photo is of Bolt, who is sprinting across the finish line in the men’s 100m semifinal. The Photoshopped version has Ellen piggybacking on Bolt’s back, and is captioned “This is how I’m running errands from now on.”
This is how I’m running errands from now on. #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/gYPtG9T1ao
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 15, 2016
Many of her followers quickly pointed out how the photo could be construed as racist. However, due to Ellen’s vocal activism on the issue, it’s very unlikely that that was her intent. She addressed the photo controversy by tweeting, “I am highly aware of the racism that exists in our country. It is the furthest thing from who I am.”
Usain Bolt himself retweeted the photo and won the Gold in Sunday’s final in 9.81 seconds, making him the first person to claim the gold medal in the event for the third consecutive time.
Source: Chicago Tribune
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