'Elon took my blue check away!' Reactions pour in as Twitter yanks legacy verification badges



Media figures, celebrities, and others lost their legacy Twitter verification badges on Thursday.

The social media platform previously provided the badges for free to people like journalists and celebrities, but now with Elon Musk at the helm, the company provides verification badges to people who pay to subscribe to Twitter Blue. Organizations can pay for verification as well. Government figures and entities now get gray verification badges.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York sounded the alarm, claiming that the new checkmark system lays the groundwork for "major potential harm" to result due to confusion about which accounts are real and which are fake.

"Jokes aside, this is setting the stage for major potential harm when a natural disaster hits and no one knows what agencies, reporters, or outlets are real. Not long ago we had major flash floods. We had to mobilize trusted info fast to save lives. Today just made that harder," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

The congresswoman was retweeting someone who shared a screenshot of a fake New York account claiming to be the city's official account.

"This is an authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government," the real account tweeted on Thursday.

"No, you're not. THIS account is the only authentic Twitter account representing and run by the New York City Government," a fake account replied.

The fake account has been suspended and a gray verification badge currently appears on the city's official account.

\u201cJokes aside, this is setting the stage for major potential harm when a natural disaster hits and no one knows what agencies, reporters, or outlets are real.\n\nNot long ago we had major flash floods. We had to mobilize trusted info fast to save lives. Today just made that harder\u201d
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1682027688

Outspoken left-wing celebrity Bette Midler referred to Musk as a "worm," tweeting, "Elon took my blue check away! I'm unverified! After all these years and thousands of tweets and free content, this worm has the nerve to de-certify me!"

"So by revoking my blue check mark because I wouldn’t pay some arbitrary fee, someone can just be me and say a bunch of bull****. Does that mean Twitter and @elonmusk are liable for defamation or identity theft or fraud?" Alyssa Milano asked.

Even Elmo, a character from the children's program Seasame Street, lamented the loss of the verification badge.

"Elmo will miss you, little blue check mark. But don’t worry everybody, Elmo is still Elmo!" the character's account tweeted.

\u201cElmo will miss you, little blue check mark. But don\u2019t worry everybody, Elmo is still Elmo! \u2764\ufe0f\u201d
— Elmo (@Elmo) 1682030939

Elon Musk indicated that he is personally paying for Twitter Blue subscriptions for NBA player LeBron James, actor William Shatner, and author Stephen King.

\u201c@PopBase Just Shatner, LeBron and King\u201d
— Pop Base (@Pop Base) 1682034691

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Lizzo Celebrates Obesity After Kanye West Calls The Pro-Fat Movement ‘Demonic’

Lizzo took offense to a dose of truth last week after rap and fashion icon Kanye West criticized the pro-fat movement.

Jinkies! New 'Scooby-Doo' movie makes Velma explicitly gay



Velma, one of the key characters in the widely-beloved world of "Scooby-Doo" kids shows and movies, is clearly portrayed as a lesbian in the new movie "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!"

Movie clips circulating online show Velma smitten with female character Coco Diablo.

In one clip, after setting eyes on Coco, Velma's glasses fog up, her cheeks turn red, and she says, "Jinkies."

\u201cVelma first meets Coco Diablo in \u201cTrick or Treat Scooby-Doo\u201d\n#Scoobydoohistory \nhttps://t.co/TnWGS0B5GK\u201d
— Scooby-Doo History (@Scooby-Doo History) 1664889662

In another clip, Velma visibly reacts after Coco Diablo says, "The cute one's right," and then grabs Velma's shoulder.

And in another clip, Velma exclaims to Daphne, "OK, who am I kidding? I'm crushing big-time Daphne. What do I do? What do I say?"

The move to make Velma explicitly gay in the new animated movie does not come completely out of the blue, as individuals associated with earlier "Scooby-Doo" content have previously indicated that they viewed Velma as a gay character. But the on-screen evidence of Velma's homosexuality in this new movie will likely disturb many parents who do not want their children exposed to such content.

James Gunn of the 2002 "Scooby-Doo" movie, and its sequel "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed," had wanted to make Velma's character a homosexual, but was blocked from doing so.

"I tried! In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel)," Gunn wrote in a tweet in July of 2020 that has apparently been deleted.

Also Tony Cervone, who according to IMDB was a supervising producer with the television series "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," had said that Velma was meant to be gay in that show.

According to screenshots of an Instagram comment, Cervone noted, "I've said this before, but Velma in Mystery Incorporated is not bi. She's gay. We always planned on Velma acting a little off and out of character while she was dating Shaggy because that relationship was wrong for her and she had unspoken difficulty with the why. There are hints about the why in that episode with the mermaid, and if you follow the entire Marcie arc it seems as clear as we could make it 10 years ago. I don’t think Marcie and Velma had time to act on their feelings during the main timeline, but post reset, they are a couple. You can not like it, but this was our intention."

\u201cScooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated producer Tony Cervone confirms character Velma Dinkley is a lesbian.\n\nFilmmaker James Gunn also reveals that he was blocked from depicting Velma as a lesbian in the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo film.\u201d
— Pop Crave (@Pop Crave) 1594649270
Culture Jamming Explained by @Alex Stein

Culture Jamming Explained by @Alex Stein

Liberals try to cancel 'Euphoria' star Sydney Sweeney because guests at her mother's birthday party wore 'MAGA-inspired hats' and 'blue lives matter' shirts



Sydney Sweeney is an up-and-coming Hollywood actress with 49 acting credits already at the age of 24. However, her fans turned on the star of the HBO show "Euphoria" on Saturday after Sweeney shared photos of her mother's birthday party on social media. Liberals attempted to cancel Sweeney because guests at the birthday party were wearing "Make America Great Again" inspired hats and a "blue lives matter" shirt.

Sweeney's family – who are from Idaho – held a surprise birthday party for her mother, who turned 60. Best friends of the mother told her that they were taking her line dancing at a bar in town. However, there was a surprise birthday party at a barn.

A sign welcomed guests to "Lisa's 60th Hoedown."

Sweeney shared photos on Instagram of the party – which included line dancing, a mechanical bull, and ax-throwing.

In one of the photos, a man is seen wearing a "thin blue line" or "blue lives matter" t-shirt as he gleefully hugs Sweeney's mother and grandmother.

Sweeney's brother posted photos of some guests who donned red "MAGA" inspired hats that read: "Make Sixty Great Again."

\u201cSydney Sweeney shares new photos celebrating her mother\u2019s birthday.\u201d
— Pop Base (@Pop Base) 1661630907


\u201cKinda funny how Sydney Sweeney carefully curated her IG post so that none of the MAGA-inspired hats were seen and then her dimwitted brother\u2019s post blew it all up. \ud83e\udd21\ud83e\udd20\u201d
— \ud835\udc03\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc24 \ud83d\udcf0\ud83d\udcd3\ud83d\udd8a (@\ud835\udc03\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc24 \ud83d\udcf0\ud83d\udcd3\ud83d\udd8a) 1661633132

Then cancel culture took over on social media. On Saturday, "Sydney Sweeney" was trending on Twitter because fans of the celebrity were furious that guests at her mother's birthday party were possibly conservative.

One person wrote on Twitter, "She’s a white woman from America, idk why the internet is so outraged when she is quite literally doing what white women from America do."

Someone tweeted, "Idk why everyone’s surprised? All those times you’ve seen her and not known she was raised by Republicans?"

Others insinuated that the family was involved in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol building or that they look like they use racial slurs. Some commentators called her family "trash" and "inbred." Others demanded that the actress "delete" the photos. One Twitter user said that Sweeney deserved "lashings."

The backlash from the Twitter reactions caused Sweeney to have to release a statement about the attire of people at her mother's surprise birthday party.

Sweeney wrote on Saturday night, "You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my mom's milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions. Much love to everyone and Happy Birthday Mom!"

\u201cYou guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions. Much love to everyone \u2665\ufe0f and Happy Birthday Mom!\u201d
— Sydney Sweeney (@Sydney Sweeney) 1661640607


Woke social media comes for superstar Ariana Grande for racially ambiguous 'Asianfishing'



Pop superstar Ariana Grande is under fire for recent photos in which some social media users say she looks intentionally Asian.

Asianfishing is similar to blackfishing, in which a person co-opts another race or ethnicity for profit or positive attention and without having to experience any discrimination or racism that may come with such identities.

Grande has previously announced that she is of Italian-American descent.

What are the details?

Photos of Grande's new look initially went viral on Reddit in a post titled "Not blackfishing but Ariana Grande asian-fishing?"

The poster, teddyccino, complained, "Am I the only one who’s uncomfortable with the way in which Ari has altered her face? ... Every celeb has had plastic surgery, but there’s something about Ari’s that doesn’t sit right with me lately. The overzealous eyebrow lift in which she’s actually changed the shape of her eyebrows from arched (as you can see in the picture I’ve linked) to straight, as is popular in East Asia. The way she takes pictures from certain angles (low) or wears makeup in a way that will conceal her eyelids, creating a mono lid look, it also makes her eyes appear less round and narrower. The way she’s so tiny and petite now, which is a stereotype of East Asian women, and not to mention her cutesy submissive innocent 'sex kitten' persona, once again a fetishization of East Asian women."

Ariana Grande looks incredible in newly shared photos. pic.twitter.com/MBvbwpT0LJ
— Pop Crave (@Pop Crave) 1638380600

What was the response?

On Reddit, one user responded, "I’ve noticed this lately too, it’s like she got so much black fishing hate that she decided to switch to Asianfishing. It definitely looks like she got the eye lifting surgery and/or uses makeup to create the shape of an Asian person’s eyes. It’s annoying, I don’t see why she can’t just be herself."

Another Redditor added, "She spent years capitalizing on the images of other races. When she first hit the radio (I didn't know her from Disney, too old) I thought she was latinx heritage. Then she gradually morphed into a black or mixed facade and I was like WTF. Now this. K pop is the new wave, J pop hasn't quite gained as much traction, but either way she's just latching into a new identity. I don't understand how anyone thinks this is ok."

One Twitter user wrote, "Ariana Grande hijacking Korean aesthetic is F***IN’ WEIRD and class A #asianfishing and idgaf how good the chick sings, this doesn’t get a pass[.]"

Another added, "Ari's done w blackfishing, she's asianfishing now[.]"

"Ariana Grande is giving lightskins going from summer to winterwent straight from blackfishing to asianfishing," another user wrote, using crying face emojis.

Anything else?

Oli London, a reality star from the U.K., defended Grande's look on social media and tweeted, "If Ariana wants to look Asian, let her be[.]"

If Ariana wants to look Asian, let her be: https://news.yahoo.com/amphtml/ariana-grande-accused-asianfishing-photos-234454050.html\u00a0\u2026 #olilondon #ArianaGrande @ArianaGrande
— Oli London (@Oli London) 1638840197

London, notable for his plastic surgery geared to resemble the Korean aesthetic, previously added, "I'm so in love with @ArianaGrande new Asian look. It looks so cute and oriental. Welcome to the TRANSRACIAL club Ari, so happy to have you join me. Can we become the King & Queen of Korea together already?"

I\u2019m so in love with @ArianaGrande new Asian look. It looks so cute and oriental. Welcome to the TRANSRACIAL club Ari, so happy to have you join me. Can we become the King & Queen of Korea together already? #olilondon #ArianaGrande #transracialpic.twitter.com/coWlW0idQS
— Oli London (@Oli London) 1638556462

Justin Bieber under fire for cultural appropriation and racial insensitivity — because of his latest hairstyle



Performer Justin Bieber is under fire for his latest hairstyle: dreadlocks.

What are the details?

Bieber, who debuted the new look Monday on Instagram, took flak for the hairstyle after many people said that he was guilty of cultural appropriation and racial insensitivity by wearing the hairstyle.

According to USA Today, Bieber has previously said that he's "very influenced by black culture," but many social media users weren't happy with his new look.

One user, as highlighted by the outlet, wrote, "Listen @justinbieber I don't care how long I've liked you, this is cultural appropriation and i don't like it."

Another added, "Justin how are you gonna preach that you're an advocate for black people and then keep appropriating them? Makes sense buddy."

now why did justin bieber get dreadlocks and why does he keep getting a pass https://t.co/lTis4w2J7X
— bea 💛💛 (@bea 💛💛)1619387399.0

A third user said, "Justin Bieber is wearing locs right now. I don't like it because black folks who were locs are still discriminated in the workplace for wearing hair that comes natural to them. There are laws that exist that actually prohibit."

The 27-year-old artist released his sixth studio album, "Justice," in March.

In June, Bieber admitted on social media that his "style," as well as how he sings, dances, performs, and dresses "have all been influenced and inspired by black culture."

"I am committed to using my platform this day forward to learn, to speak up about racial injustice and systemic oppression, and to identify ways to be a part of much needed change," he said on Instagram at the time.

Justin Bieber shows off his dingy dreads on Instagram.✨ https://t.co/ZuFkqXzYHR
— Pop Faction (@Pop Faction)1619446713.0

What did some professionals say?

On Wednesday, The Guardian reported that Stephanie Cohen, co-founder and legal and political organizer at Halo Collective — which is a natural hair organization, according to the outlet — said, "When I see a white person in mainstream media sporting a black hairstyle, it makes me angry. I'm angry because this standard does not exist when a black person simply wears their hair in this way. You can't just wear something so historically significant and ignore the struggles behind what the hairstyle purports."

Cohen added that the performer had "no right" to wear dreadlocks or any other typically ethnic hairstyle because he is white.

“My reasoning and understanding of someone wearing something not specific to their culture or ethnicity is that if they cannot speak for black or minority rights [and] be a consistent ally — then they have no right to wear something like locs," Cohen said.

Irene Shelley, who is editor of Black Beauty and Hair magazine, added, “I think why people are annoyed with Justin Bieber casually wearing locs is that it's seen as not respecting the origins of the style."

"People still face hair discrimination and stigma for their hair choice," Shelley added. "You can face discrimination by your employer or school. [Bieber] is seen as a dilettante, a person who's dipping his toe in the culture, without any real commitment or knowledge of the style's history."

Anything else to know?

As highlighted by Billboard, Bieber faced similar criticism in 2016 after wearing the controversial hairstyle.

At that time, Bieber responded to backlash in a social media video by saying, "'Dude you gonna do anything with your hair, or are you just gonna leave it like that, dude?' Yeah, some girl came up to me and she was like, 'I love you, Justin, but like, that's like my least favorite hairstyle of yours.'"

He captioned the video, "Being weird is fun' if u r not weird I don't like you."

Celebrities attack Trump voters: Janelle Monae says every American who supported Trump should 'burn'



Celebrities reacted to the close 2020 presidential election by lashing out at Americans who voted for President Donald Trump, denouncing them as racists and sexists.

Actress and singer Janelle Monáe went on a rant where she lambasted the nearly 70 million Americans who voted for President Donald Trump in the election. Monáe said that every person who supported President Trump should "burn."

In a now-deleted tweet, Monáe shared a photo on Twitter of her giving the middle finger in a selfie with the caption, "F*** Donald Tromp and every American citizen, celebrity, white woman, black man, ETC who supported him burnnnnnnnnnn,"

Janelle Monáe addresses Trump and his supporters: “Fuck Donald Tromp and every American citizen, celebrity, white… https://t.co/d5iXgdXTub
— Pop Crave (@Pop Crave)1604523265.0

In another since-deleted tweet, Monáe said, "I'm not going down the list for y'all you do the research and see who gave him millions of votes."

Monáe shared a tweet that read, "I'm never forgiving Trump voters and that doesn't make me a bad person."

The actress added, "NEVER OR those who endorsed him."

NEVER OR those who endorsed him https://t.co/XHR3P4g4qD
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi Mayweather👽🚆🤖🚀🪐 (@Janelle Monáe, Cindi Mayweather👽🚆🤖🚀🪐)1604477242.0

On Election Day, the leftist entertainer shared a tweet that read, "ELECTORAL COLLEGE IS RACIST BULLS*** AND SHOULD BE ABOLISHED."

Monáe, who came out as "pansexual" in 2018, has been a supporter of Democratic politicians. Monáe gave a performance at CarolinaFest in support of former President Barack Obama in 2012.

Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams tapped Monáe to create an original song for her 2020 documentary "All in All: The Fight for Democracy."

Monáe thanked Abrams, who wasn't running in the 2020 election, by saying on Thursday, "WE OWE YOU SO MUCH!!!! You make America GREAT!"

Me too !!! WE OWE YOU SO MUCH @staceyabrams !!!! You make America GREAT!🇺🇸 https://t.co/fdPGWqVsHv
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi Mayweather👽🚆🤖🚀🪐 (@Janelle Monáe, Cindi Mayweather👽🚆🤖🚀🪐)1604624857.0

Monáe has been highly critical of President Trump. In July 2019, Monáe demanded that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) impeach President Trump.

"I'm dead ass convinced this idiot racist could kill someone on Twitter live in the WH west wing & u guys would be like 'when he kills someone he reaffirms his message of division. We have to work together to reflect BLAH,'" she wrote on Twitter. "CALL 4 IMPEACHMENT Speaker Pelosi ... Stop dragging this OUT."

Monáe also ranted, "HE HAS BEEN A XENOPHOBIC RACIST … AND he is MENTALLY UNFIT to be PRESIDENT."

"The Republican Party has wanted a pawn to carry out their agenda & help do their dirty work for a while," she tweeted. "This is why the racists, sexists, white nationalists, white supremacists, etc that make up that party won't call 4 impeachment . #RacistInChief is ALSO a PAWN"

Other celebrities voiced disdain to the over 69 million Americans voted for President Trump in the 2020 presidential election, including actor Dave Bautista, Demi Lovato, Wesley Snipes, Kathy Griffin, Josh Gad, and John Cusack. Some celebrities attacked Americans who voted for Trump, claiming that people who endorsed the incumbent president are supporting racism, sexism, and fascism.

The horrible truth. https://t.co/fp8LhReI16
— Super Duper Fly (@Super Duper Fly)1604508455.0
Kind of terribly sad how close this election was. After this year and especially this summer it should’ve been a la… https://t.co/pA1jgzU9wT
— Demi Lovato (@Demi Lovato)1604500212.0
The closeness of this election is showing just how many decided racism is “not a big deal”.
— WS (@WS)1604594072.0
It’s not just that trump corrupted the election exactly the way he said he would, post office etc, it’s that 66 mil… https://t.co/GbnxOiy1sU
— Kathy Griffin (@Kathy Griffin)1604509717.0
There can be two truths. Biden IS going to win this thing AND America has shown itself to be dangerously racist, pa… https://t.co/KstbtPPxFt
— Josh Gad (@Josh Gad)1604501592.0
It says many people don’t mind & actually prefer to publicly endorse fascism rascism & sadism & being ritually hu… https://t.co/FWslFH0yWm
— John Cusack (@John Cusack)1604463600.0