*Just as many people were about to treat themselves with the ‘It’s Okay to be White’ T-shirt, the human rights commission and so many other similar groups had exploded with rage. This was probably because of the fact that some white supremacists began adopting the phrase as their own rallying cry. Other than this some well-known bigots like Lauren Southern had come out to endorse the product.

The Original Goal of the Slogan

The ‘It’s Okay to be White’ T-shirt had been originally launched because they wanted white kids to think that it’s okay to be born in a white family. Just because a lot of the forefathers of white kids were racist, doesn’t mean that they will act irresponsibly as well.

They had also positioned this T-shirt towards White people who wished to troll their local communists or even for brown people who wished to troll all the stuck-up urbanites around them. All-in-all it was supposed to be a light-hearted take on some really serious matters in the country such as racism and division.

Well, we all know it didn’t turn out as it was intended.

What Was Perceived By the Audiences

Despite what the advertisements of this product said, the Human Rights Commission released a statement saying that the product was promoting intolerance, racism, and division. What’s more? It was also found that the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke, was very impressed by the caption and began writing articles about it his own website.

The Producers Knew There Will Be Some Ambiguity Due to the Phrase

Trade Me, the producers of the T-shirt, want nothing to do with the product anymore. They don’t care for the shock value it is creating and knew beforehand that the ambiguity would be quite tough for them to wrestle against. This is why the site decided not to sell the product anymore on their website.

Moral of the Story

There isn’t one. All we can say is that if someone wishes to normalize bigotry, they should at least take it one step further and openly endorse the statement they are making. Tricking people into spreading racism and division is just a sad attempt at reclaiming power for white supremacists.

It has always been okay for White folks to be who they are. It is high time that everybody else is allowed to be themselves without it being mocked.

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