Clearly, you’re having a bad morning when you feel threatened by a fashion magazine cover — or the Statue of Liberty. Or both. After Vogue unveiled an image of Jennifer Lawrence with Lady Liberty in the background, Breitbart editor John Carney expressed his displeasure on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/carney/status/895689228146946050
“We’re going to have to create a full #MAGA shadow cultural industry because the Opposition Media can’t even do fashion without attacking us,” he tweeted Thursday.
“Wait, what?” you may ask. Let us try to explain.
The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of American hope and inclusiveness as it welcomed immigrants arriving in New York Harbor, has become a trigger for some on the right.
Earlier this month, Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller became irate during a news conference about reducing legal immigration when he was reminded by CNN reporter Jim Acosta about the poem at the base of the statue.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” says the poem, written by Emma Lazarus.
Those like Miller who want to curb even legal immigration — especially for non-native English speakers — disagree with Lady Liberty’s message. Carney contends that featuring the iconic statue on a magazine cover in the midst of the immigration debate shows a liberal bias.
Though some agreed with Carney’s tweet, others were really, really confused:
Presenting the Alt-Right fall collection:
This stunning sibling / spouse ensemble is just what u need while waiting for coal jobs to return pic.twitter.com/YxgpXiQb50— Colossal Picasso (@CushKobain) August 10, 2017
Truly baffled. Isn't the Statue of Liberty the iconic American image of womanhood? What else would be? If you see politics, that's on you.
— Ellen Clair Lamb (@ECLamb) August 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/stribs/status/895692968010461185
It didn’t take long for Carney himself to respond to the bafflement over his Twitter post. Apparently, he meant his Statue of Liberty jab as a joke, but the “humorless” left took it too seriously. Or maybe they just didn’t find it funny.
https://twitter.com/carney/status/895695277457321984
https://twitter.com/carney/status/895710929610035200