The internet can be a wonderful, weird, and hateful place all at the same time.
It has the power to unite us and to educate us, but it also has the power to divide us and to instigate us. Case in point, this single tweet sent by a far-right Twitter user:
“I was just sitting on the train, existing,” Samuel Themer (the man on the right in the photo), otherwise known by his drag name, Gilda Wabbit, told Wired. “It didn’t seem out of the ordinary that a woman in full modesty garb would sit next to me.”
Boubah Barry, a Guinean immigrant, quickly snapped a photo of the seat-mates and posted it to Instagram with the caption:
“This is how freedom looks like Mr. President, we have no problem with diversity and we embrace the freedom of religion. It is in the constitution. I believe You should read it sometimes and Kazir Khan will be more than happy to lend you a copy. I can also purchase one for you sir.”
However, the photo, meant to show the true diversity of America, soon took on a life of its own and ended up spreading across accounts, finally making its way to @PolNewsNetwork1. But instead of spreading hate, the tweet simply inspired love, and a little bit of hilarity, thanks to social media users taking the negative tweet and turning it on its head.
Twitter users quickly latched onto the phrase used by @PolNewsNetwork1, “This is the future that liberals want,” and put their own spin on things through meme generation and simply pointing out that, yes, many do in fact want a future where religious freedom, basic human rights, (and a great public transit system) exist.
While Themer is attempting to ignore the negative feedback, he is also OK with becoming the face of the future, noting to Mediaite, “I won’t speak for all liberals, but I’d like to see a future where it isn’t a big deal for a woman in full modesty garb to sit next to a drag queen in NYC. It’s become a bit of a sensation, but her and I were just existing. The freedom to simply be yourself in a sea of people who aren’t like you is a freedom we all deserve.”
