Wednesday 11 February 2015

Zach Braff apologizes after 'racist' tweet compares Pharrell's Grammy outfit to a monkey

Scrubs actor Zach Braff has apologized after a tweet he sent on Sunday night comparing Pharrell’s bellboy outfit at the Grammys to the flying monkey in The Wizard of Oz got him into trouble.
For the performance of his award-winning song Happy, singer/producer Pharrell wore a bellboy-type hat and jacket that provoked much online debate.
While many viewers tweeted about Pharrell’s likeness to the bellhop in the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel, others wondered if – given his political-charged performance – the outfit was a reference to black bellhops.

Braff joined the online debate when he jokingly shared a side-by-side picture of Pharrell and the flying monkey from the 2013 The Wizard of Oz-remake – Oz The Great and Powerful.
'Grammys are time-delayed in LA (?!) but someone just sent me this: #IWoreItBetter,’ he tweeted.
His post sparked much intense debate online and he was called out for not realizing that comparing African Americans to monkeys could be construed as an offensive racial slur.
On Monday Braff posted an apology, claiming that his reference was inspired by his voiceover role as a monkey in Oz.
'I love Pharrell. I thought the outfit he wore was similar to that of my bell hop in Oz. I apologize,’ he tweeted.
Pharrell took home two Grammys - Best Solo Performance and Best Video - for his song Happy on the night.
His performance during the award show also provoked a reaction as it included dancers in black hoodies who struck a 'hands up, don't shoot' pose - a reference to the slogan used by protesters after the Michael Brown shooting.

The gesture is the same that has recently been used by demonstrators protesting the death of other unarmed black men at the hands of police - including Eric Garner in New York City.
The use of hoods was a reference to the death of Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012.Check Zach Tweet he is apologizing for after the cut:














culled from dailymail

No comments:

Post a Comment