Funny Or Offensive? Sarah Palin Manages To Combine Ferguson, Obama And Immigration
Outspoken conservative commentator Sarah Palin has been strangely silent on the topic of Ferguson, Missouri. Recently, a grand jury recently decided not to indict a police officer for the shooting of Michael Brown, resulting in the town erupting into riots. But Palin finally decided to weigh in, and managed to roll the Ferguson riots, her distaste for President Obama and Obama’s recent executive action on immigration into one meme. Palin, known for being divisive, created plenty of both controversy and chuckles over the meme she posted on her official Facebook page.
The meme, which was originally published online via Mad World News, shows a picture of President Obama saying, “I will be signing a new executive order replacing the word ‘looting’ with ‘undocumented shopping.'”
The meme immediately captured the attention of many, garnering over 50,000 “likes” as well as nearly 60,000 shares. Many of Palin’s followers found it funny, and well in line with Palin’s jabs at the President, something she has become known for and prides herself on. Her post brought on the oft-seen rallying cry of “Run, Sarah, run!” that her fans often post to her page, as well as cries of “Preach it!” One comment said, “I shared this on my page when I saw it the other day. Look, we either laugh or we cry. I’d rather laugh.”
And yet many others were somewhat confused by the meme, and thought it was an actual quote by President Obama. “Every day there is a new executive order!” commented one person, as another commented, “Too bad this is true.” Another person commented that the President was just “mincing words” and that both looting and undocumented shopping were the same thing, and both were illegal.
It also drew sharp criticism from social media users, with many accusing Palin of race-baiting and asking her to hold herself to a higher accountability as a public figure. “This is a great snapshot of everything that is wrong with American politics. Through your hard work and better luck, you have crafted a place in the media spotlight where you have the ability to put forth your positive ideas for America’s future, and this is your best? This is somehow good for the country? Why don’t you lead from this point onward and hold others accountable to the same?” one user asked. Another said, “This self centered publicity hound lends nothing of value to the national discussion.”
According to some recent news, though, the Palins themselves aren’t exactly against riotous behavior. Read more about that here.
What do you think? Is Sarah Palin’s meme funny, or just offensive? Should she be held to a higher standard as a public figure? Or is the real question less about whether or not Palin’s meme on Ferguson, Obama and immigration is funny, and more about whether or not it’s acceptable to make jokes about such serious matters, no matter which side of the debate you may stand on?
[Images vi the Boston Herald and Facebook]
