The Arrow, is a TV-show I watch and have over time been disappointed with. I'll get into that another post, BUT!? For anybody to try to pretend that Texas doesn't have a deep and long history of bigotry!? And that the history of said bigotry, played a big part in the whole Ahmed's got a bomb, bullshit.
Here is the article;
“Arrow” star Stephen Amell landed in hot water on Twitter Wednesday afternoon after he made a comment equating the treatment of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed to stererotypes lobbed against Texas, the state where the incident went down.
“Stereotyping Texas isn’t any better than stereotyping Ahmed. Just so we’re clear,” Amell tweeted Wedensday afternoon.
Mohamed was arrested for bringing a self-made alarm clock to school in Irving, Texas on Monday. The arrest has prompted questions about bias against Muslims. Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that “It would not have occurred if he did not have a Muslim name and have a heritage from the Muslim world.”
Mohamed was proud of the clock he made with a circuit board with wires leading to a digital display, and wanted to show it to his teachers at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas.
However, one teacher alerted authorities when she mistook it for a bomb, and Mohamed was put in handcuffs shortly after. But realizing there was no imminent threat, the boy was released.
Since then, the #IStandWithAhmed hashtag started trending on Twitter. Even President Obama has invited Mohamed to bring his alarm clock to the White House on Twitter.
Amell’s comment did not sit well with Twitter users.
“Stephen Amell just needs to take his top off but shut his mouth,” said userShayneCaffrey. “Talk about missing the point. I thought season 3 was bad but he’s worse.”
“@amellywood get over yourself,” said baetoul. “Nobody is “profiling” Texas, they’re talking about the rampant racism and systematic inequality present there.”
Rather than apologize or walk back his remarks, Amell doubled down in subsequent tweets.
“I can’t believe I broke my rule and tweeted about an actual event. Staggering to remember that debates in 140 characters don’t work,” he wrote. “What happened to Ahmed was terrible. Obviously. I happened to read a series of tweets pronouncing that this is a systemic problem in Texas, which is also profiling…. Anywho, I’m not apologizing or deleting the tweets. If you’re outraged at an opinion it’s because you’re bored.”
Amell concluded his rant on a positive note, saying, “Last thing: Ahmed’s White House visit will be an awesome, awesome moment.”
But the outrage has not died down. Below is a sampling of social media reactions to the “Arrow” star’s comments.
Reps for Amell did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
@amellywood stop it, you're getting fucking annoying. You're 34 but you dont realize that your tweets are SO DIRESPECTFUL for Muslims.
@amellywood So u are allowed to be outraged & go on a twitter rant about Texas being wrongfully profiled but wen we r outraged we are bored!
People: a kid got arrested bc of the strong islamophobia in america
Stephen amell: but texas's feelings got hurt :// so
Literally all of America is a nation that upholds white supremacy & hell yeah Texas is part of that SYSTEMIC problem twitter.com/amellywood/sta…
Would Stephen Amell stfu about Texas. We know not all of Texas is a shitstain. That is NOT THE FUCKIN POINT FFS.
Amell has since apologized;
STEPHEN AMELL APOLOGIZES FOR TWEET ON TEXAS AND AHMED MOHAMED
After a self-imposed exile from social media earlier this week, "Arrow" star Stephen Amell returned to Facebook to respond to a fan's heart-felt video about his comments regarding Texas and Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old who was taken away in handcuffs after a teacher worried a clock he built was a "hoax bomb."
On Wednesday, Amell tweeted, "Stereotyping Texas isn't any better than stereotyping Ahmed. Just so we're clear."
After receiving a negative response to his tweet, Amell said he was stepping away "for a bit" from social media. But a video from one of his fans, Jennifer Wattley, that was posted to his Facebook page brought the actor back.
"Okay, so I've been asked to share this video that I made with you, and I sincerely hope that you'll take it in the manner it was meant--to be helpful," Wattley wrote in her introduction. "To help you understand a different POV than your own. To help you see why some of us 'bored' internet people were/are hurt. This is not to antagonize, but to shed light on a POV you'll never understand without facing some things. None of us think you're a bad person, we're just disappointed, which happens. But we want you to know why."
Amell responded, "... thanks for taking the time. I know that a lot of people wouldn't put themselves out there in front of a large audience and produce something so raw. I'm also appreciative because part of the reason this whole ordeal metastasized is anonymity. The other 99% was me commenting on a social issue / doubling down / saying I was going away and then doubling (tripling) down again because I felt mistreated by a few headlines. (Poor me... I know.) This led to me poking the bear... and here we are. Now... I'm could go point / counterpoint on your video. You saying I don't care... that I don't get it... that I was simply equating two things when I explicitly stated that was not my intention... I don't want to do that. I want to apologize. For a couple of reasons. First, just because. Pride gets in the way sometimes. So let's get rid of that. I'm sorry. If you were offended, found me trite or disingenuous, I'm sorry. Second, I made specific statements... but in a medium where people can't hear my tone of voice, and the inability to be particular in tone made people that were in my corner (that's a weird thing to type) feel disrespected. So I'm sorry. I have a very, very large audience, a high school education and no safety net or filter in front of me. I'm an actor. I'm not a Professor of sociology or an expert on the psychology of anyone who has to exist in any culture as a minority. I'm not an expert on religion or the history of particular regions. Quite simply I should have left things to smarter people. So again, I'm sorry. Concurrently, this whole social (media) experiment is a two way street. I come forward with no filter and that has engendered me a lot of good faith. If that faith is jeopardized... Well, I'd regret that any of this happened even more than I already do. You be well, Jennifer. And if anyone feels like Jennifer, then please consider this abnormally long paragraph penance for a few lousy days in an otherwise fruitful relationship. I'm sorry. And everything being equal, I'd really like to move on." (I'm sure you would, Stephen. I'm sure you would.)
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