A member of the Coast Guard did something with hand in the background of a live shot during an interview on MSNBC about Hurricane Florence. Twitter reacted to what he did with hand. The Coast Guard saw what Twitter was saying. And now the guy is accused of being a white supremacist. Not to mention his record will reflect, at the very least, that he was removed from from the task force.
It happened last night, immediately hitting Twitter.
Well, that was about as subtle as a train wreck, on a boat.
— Michael Ⓜ️ (@michaelschweitz) September 14, 2018
pic.twitter.com/nHjTKALgcL
That Twitter response made it to the Coast Guard’s attention, and they sent the kid off.
We are aware of the offensive video on twitter - the Coast Guard has identified the member and removed him from the response. His actions do not reflect those of the United States Coast Guard.
— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) September 15, 2018
US Coast Guard on hand gesture seen used by a support staff member (bottom left) during an interview on @MSNBC this afternoon:
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 15, 2018
"The Coast Guard has identified the member and removed him from the response. His actions do not reflect those of the United States Coast Guard." pic.twitter.com/jjwZmCFFBI
Fox News says that they issued a media statement as well as that tweet.
The Guard is now investigating the matter. In a statement, the agency said the incident was a “frustrating distraction” amid the dangerous hurricane that is poised to affect more than 10 million people this week in the Southeast.
For those of y’all who aren’t from America, the other word for the symbol that guy flashed is “okay.” The “OK” hand gesture is pretty common in the United States, and even President Obama was known to use it. But some weirdos on some internet “forum” decided to pretend it was for white power and now when you say okay you’re also racist. If you’re white.
That kid in the clip glanced at the camera. He obviously went out of his way to make that hand sign. Maybe he knows about the weirdos and supports their trolling. Maybe he was saying he is OK to someone back home, like the great Carol Burnett tugging on her ear. Heck, maybe he even digs white power.
Or maybe if we’re trying to figure out if someone was being racist or just saying “okay” with a brief hand gesture in the background of a hurricane update on a low-rated cable news network, maybe we’re not doing too great as a society.