“Accusing someone of racism is a sorry tactic used by weak individuals in an attempt to silence someone.”
Skittles has become the latest source of social media outrage after the decision to observe Gay Pride month by releasing all white candy within white packaging. Ditching their “taste the rainbow” marketing catch phrase, Skittles decided to release a limited-edition bag of candy with the sentiment that, “During Pride, only one rainbow matters. So we’ve given up ours to show support.” While many in the LGBTQ community embraced the action and recognized the brand for showing support, others accused the white candy of being racist.
Of course, in this day and age, it’s virtually impossible to do right by any social cause without offending someone. Apparently, by ditching the rainbow, Skittles has inadvertently caused some ruffled feathers. Social media users accused the candy of being tone-deaf for releasing white packaging.
Somehow they are guilty of racism because they chose to go colorless to celebrate Pride. I mean, are people capable of celebrating one community without drawing out some type of nonexistent subliminal message? You would think that Skittles released candy dressed in teeny, tiny white sheets. Come on.
This reminds me of the time Pepsi got social justice warriors worked up for their commercial depicting a protestor handing a police officer a Pepsi. While it may have been an ill-timed marketing decision, it never occurred to me that I should be highly offended. In the wake of allegations of police brutality, it’s sad that people can’t show support to police officers without being screamed at for not caring about black lives. With that in mind, how can influential companies and brands participate in a national discussion without being accused of hatred and racism? It’s never enough to show support or promote faith in humanity.
Social media attacks those who refrain from expressing opinions or showing support for causes, but will lash out when the support isn’t done according to their standards. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Skittles is in a lose/lose situation because if they marketed all black packaging, they would have left themselves open to being misinterpreted as participating in blackface.
It’s a brutal world for individuals who wish to be part of the conversation. I’ve also noticed in many instances that people invoke the phrase “white privilege” if met with opposition of any kind. Accusing someone of racism is a sorry tactic used by weak individuals in an attempt to silence someone. It takes away from actual racism and makes a mockery out of those of us who choose to work towards success without pulling out the race card.
Skittles chose to support the LGBTQ community and promote acceptance. That is literally what they have done and I think it’s a powerful statement. It’s getting a little old reading about the trivial things that cause hurt feelings. It has to be exhausting being so edgy on social media while sipping on an all-inclusive unicorn drink. Oddly enough, much of the outrage I have seen isn’t coming from people of color.
