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Is hashtag funny, racist or maybe all of the above?

When the hashtag "blackparentsquotes" started trending on Twitter, some worried that it could lead to racism.

 

Fruzsina Eördögh

IRL

Posted on Sep 12, 2011   Updated on Jun 3, 2021, 2:50 am CDT

The top trending topic on Twitter on September 11th and early 12th was “blackparentsquotes.”

It started in good fun, with even celebrities like Questlove from The Roots engaging in the hashtag. Judging by the photos, most participating in the topic were African American. But some – both black and white — found the topic distasteful and even racist — especially if a white person contributed with a blackparentsquotes tweet.

This isn’t the first time Twitter’s trending topics have raised difficult questions. In the past, trending topics deemed racist on Twitter have included #blamethemuslims, #thatafrican, and #thingsdarkiessay.

We bring you some of the comments, via Storify.

Photo by Daviniodus

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*First Published: Sep 12, 2011, 2:18 pm CDT