(The Root) — Miguel has been having a tough time on Twitter lately. First he was immortalized as a meme via countless photoshopped pictures after kicking some fans in the face during the BillBoard Music Awards. Now he's being dragged through the fire after making a blanket statement about black people.
"I'm proud of my heritage," he wrote, "but honestly black people are the most judgmental people in the world." Instantaneously, black people responded in offense and anger. It wasn't immediately evident what sparked Miguel's comment, but it appears to have been brought on by a discussion about religion.
Miguel's response drew the ire of scores of black Twitter users, who felt his comments were a clear example of self-hate. Others found his comment ironic, seeing as how he, a black man, essentially judged all black people in naming the lot of them the most judgmental in the world. And others saw it as just plain dumb, and a great way to alienate a good percentage of your fans.
His tweets inspired a bevy of important discussions, from internalized racism to gender politics to the strength and importance of black fan bases. There was also a two-second squabble with musician Phonte of the group Foreign Exchange that you probably missed if you blinked for too long. And of course, as is common with black folks on Twitter, there were plenty of jokes thrown about. Check out some of the conversation below.
Black people are so sad and judgmental but Kelly Clarkson got on stage at the Grammys and basically called you irrelevant @miguelunlimited
— Kimberly N. Foster (@KimberlyNFoster) May 27, 2013
Miguel should just cover "I Believe I Can Fly" while watching footage from the BMAs. Keep believing, brother.
— Proteas & Magnolias (@ArriannaMarie) May 27, 2013
you can have the longest career in the world if you got black folks as your fanbase. ask Prince. ask Sade.
— Studs Twerkel (@so_treu) May 27, 2013
CONSERVATIVE people are judgmental. Conservatism transcends race. It's a cultural box in itself, and many races inhabit it.
— Asia Brown (@AsiaBrown) May 27, 2013
Tracy Clayton is a writer, humorist and blogger from Louisville, Ky.