The Urban Dictionary defines “big mad” as “being mad as fuck about something.” It’s a derogatory term used most often to laugh and point at people who are outraged about something stupid. Trump was big mad when a federal appeals court struck down his travel ban. White women were big mad when Beyoncé sang the term “Becky with the good hair.”
When New Orleans decided to remove a monument dedicated to the Battle of Liberty Place—an 1874 uprising when the city’s white residents organized a militia to stop blacks from voting—New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said, “The removal of these statues sends a clear and unequivocal message to the people of New Orleans and the nation: New Orleans celebrates our diversity, inclusion and tolerance.”
This statement apparently made at least one person big mad—namely, Corey Stewart, the Republican chairman of Virginia’s Prince William County. Stewart, a candidate for governor of Virginia, was so incensed at the monument’s removal that he tweeted:
Keep in mind that Stewart isn’t from New Orleans. He isn’t even from a Confederate state. Stewart was born and raised in Minneapolis, so one can only conclude that his outrage stems from his secret predilection for phallic statues—or else he is simply channeling the collective indignation of the people who hold fond memories of white supremacy.
If you’re screaming at your computer screen about the audacity of wypipo, don’t worry—black Twitter can handle this. First came the journalists. Karen Hunter commented:
The Ringer’s Rembert Browne gave the politician the benefit of the doubt and assumed that maybe it was Stewart’s internet, not his mind, that was stuck in pre-Civil War thinking, so he tweeted:
Most people took exception to the idea that Stewart believed there was “nothing” worse:
Even crooner John Legend dropped in for a little shade:
But it was NFL star Donté Stallworth went in on Stewart and offered him a history lesson:
This just serves as a reminder of an old African proverb passed down by the ancestors:
“It’s better to be thought a fool than to tweet something stupid and get roasted on black Twitter.”
Remember Corey Stewart in your prayers.
#AllStatuesMatter