BBQ Becky

The incident involving BBQ Becky, whose real name is Jennifer Schulte, took place at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, on April 29, 2018. Schulte called 911 several times over a three-hour span, to report a group of picknickers, all of whom are Black, for using a charcoal grill in an area where a sign said it wasn't allowed! This incident was captured on video and quickly went viral, sparking a national conversation about racial bias; but, more importantly, it provided an opportunity for Americans to express their antipathy towards racists by making fun of the poor creature. And I was one of them.

The confrontation was a flashpoint of racial tension around Lake Merritt, one of the East Bay's most important public spaces and a rare point of convergence among the city's diverse communities. The incident put Oakland under a national media microscope and introduced the world to a name that became synonymous with displays of privilege or entitlement by White women: BBQ Becky.

The video capturing the encounter went viral, sparking widespread outrage and spawning countless memes and internet jokes. The memes often depicted Schulte calling the police on various innocuous activities, satirizing her actions and highlighting the absurdity of racial profiling. The virality of the memes amplified the public's scrutiny of Schulte's actions, leading to intense public backlash and even personal consequences for her.

The incident served as a stark reminder of the power of social media to hold individuals accountable for their actions and to shed light on issues of racial discrimination. Schulte faced significant backlash, including loss of employment and public ridicule, underscoring the consequences of racially motivated actions in the digital age.

I find it interesting that as many memes were made making fun of Schulte's complaining about nonsense, as her racism. I found both to be valid, but her racism especially needed to be called out and so, for placing herself in the line of fire, so to speak, I am grateful. These things needed to be put into the forefront of public consciousness (indeed, they still do), and saying them with humor often succeeds in getting the message across better than a simple headline.

Regarding the humor in them, I personally preferred the ones, like the I Have A Nightmare one above, that get the point across with a single word. Of course, that only works once you know what the meme is about, anyway. So, without further ado, here are the three I did:

In the aftermath of the incident, Schulte faced severe backlash. She lost her job and claimed to have experienced harassment, including death threats. (Of course, given what we know of her propensity to exaggerate her claims…) Her LinkedIn profile was deleted, and she quit her place of employment. The incident put Oakland under a national media microscope and introduced the world to a name that became synonymous with displays of privilege or entitlement by White women: Becky, to be joined two years later by Karen.

I've come upon a few remarks by folks saying that Schulte was treated more badly than she deserved. And I realize that, with her being the first to make that White Privilege statement so clearly, she was surely taken by surprise at the conquences.

But that's the thing. Up till now, racists haven't had to deal with the consequences of their racism. Well, too bad, so sad. You gotta deal with them now, assholes, and it's about fucking time.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's perfectly fine to be racist; as long as you keep it a secret and pretend you aren't and never actually act on it.

Y'know, like you want gays and trans folk to do.