(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) NPR was mocked for an in-depth article they posted about emojis and how some can apparently denote white privilege, Fox News reported.
The article, titled “Which skin color emoji should you use? The answer can be more complex than you think,” states that white people using the boilerplate, yellow-toned emojis suggest ignorance of white privilege.
Some white people may choose ? because it feels neutral — but some academics argue opting out of ?? signals a lack of awareness about white privilege, akin to society associating whiteness with being raceless.https://t.co/9g3rochT0K
— NPR (@NPR) February 9, 2022
The writing of the article is credited to three NPR employees—Alejandra Marquez Jans, Asma Khalid, and Patrick Jarenwattananon—because apparently this complex topic was too difficult for one NPR employee to write on their own.
Aside from the basic yellow, five skin-tone options for emojis were released in 2015, and those on the left have been struggling to cope with this issue ever since.
According to NPR, “choosing [yellow emojis] can be a simple texting shortcut for some, but for others it opens a complex conversation about race and identity.”
The article goes on to tell of the struggles of people who feel insulted by emojis, including Jennifer Epperson, who “identifies as black.”
“I use the default emoji, the yellow-toned one for professional settings, and then I use the dark brown emoji for friends and family,” she said. “I just don’t have the emotional capacity to unpack race relations in the professional setting.”
Predictably, NPR and their guests who are emotionally traumatized by emojis were roasted on Twitter for considering this to be an issue worth writing about or fretting over.
Incredible that it took *three* NPR employees to write something this stupid. pic.twitter.com/8KtXWN0sIz
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 9, 2022
Are the academics in the room with you right now?
— Libertarian Party of Texas (@LPTexas) February 9, 2022
what color emoji should Trudeau use
— Christina Pushaw ?? (@ChristinaPushaw) February 9, 2022
Behind the scene of this article pic.twitter.com/3qkf7sdHUK
— Nick ??????? (@WhosThatNick) February 9, 2022
