General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Alabama officers suspended for alleged 'white power' gesture [View all]Lee-Lee
(6,324 posts)This is absurd. The circle game has been a thing since I was in high school. And for a white the deputies I worked with played it.
The entire claim that the OK sigh is a white supremacist symbol came from a 4chan trolling operation where they made it up. Thats it. No evidence was ever seen it was ever actually used by a hate group before 4chan put it out there and none after aside from some wannabes who believed the trolling.
I track hate groups and speech and such online for my job. The entire claim that the OK sign is a white power symbol was made up by trolls from 4chan and aside from that has zero origins in any actual use by hate groups.
But because people jump off without facts or without caring about facts they suspend them? Really?
These officers were suspended for playing a very minor prank because the cities mayor fell for a 4chan prank and isnt smart enough to even bother looking up to see what it is and, by his own words, didnt even ask the officers.
I have no idea what these officers believe on racial issues or anything related. But I can tell you that after being suspended for that kind of nonsense on such a weak accusation of racism that has no proof other than a 4chan prank all of them are probably less likely to take real claims of racial bias seriously when they have seen themselves punished based on pretty much no evidence ot basis in reality.
People need to at least do a tiny bit of research before jumping off the handle and doing things like suspending people.
https://www.adl.org/blog/no-the-ok-gesture-is-not-a-hate-symbol