Idris Elba sports t-shirt with BLM message to mark Juneteenth, enraged Internet says 'take it and burn it'
Today (June 19) is Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. The occasion marks freedom and liberation. However, when actor Idris Elba took to Twitter to share a picture of a t-shirt, he was slammed because it represented anything but what Juneteenth stands for.
The ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ star was seen sporting a t-shirt that read, "Take my art, culture, fashion, life, music, science" with the word life being struck out, implying Black Lives Matter. He captioned the post, "Juneteenth. Never say die." Twitter users were quick to react to Elba's post as it managed to garner a range of reactions. Several of them called out the actor for propagating an incorrect message by saying that its alright for the black community to be deprived of rights, as long as their lives aren’t in danger.
While one wrote, “Wtf is Idris talking about bout take my art, culture, music but not my life. What drug are these celebrities on? How bout 'they' don’t take s**t?” Another added to the precious tweet saying, "The shirt should say 'Don't take anything that belongs to black people. Period.' take it and burn it." Some noted that Elba shouldn't have chosen today to put this short on the display. "Not Idris Elba choosing Juneteenth to be the day he disappoints us, these celebs know no bounds."
Meanwhile, another agitated user tweeted, "Actually, here's an idea, how about they take...none of it? what kind of backward permission is this? Dumba** shirt." However, some of Elba's fans defended him saying he shared the picture with all the right intentions and a few even agreed that life matters more than anything else. One wrote, "It sucks that we're always quick to attack our own without communicating to understand first. #Idris."
Another added, "It is scary how we've gotten to a place where we think on the shallow end of our intellectual capabilities. Most things are tangible and / or replaceable. However, LIFE, it is values cannot be calculated. There is no 'return receipt.' So #Idris, I hear you!"
