V for Vendetta actor Stephen Fry has been accused of being a white supremacist after he used the “okay sign” to promote mental health awareness.
Fry, who played Gordon Dietrich in [easyazon_link identifier=”B0091XEW9M” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]V for Vendetta[/easyazon_link], took to Twitter on Monday morning to help support Mind Charity for Mental Health Awareness Week. While encouraging his followers to follow Mind Charity to find out more about them, he included a photo of himself using the “okay symbol.”
Are you A.O.K? Our friends @aok.kitchen are supporting @MindCharity this Mental Health Awareness Week, 13th – 19th May. Follow them to find out more. 👌#mentalhealthawarenessweek#MHAW19 pic.twitter.com/lpK03pcia8
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) May 13, 2019
Fry was quickly accused of being a white supremacist on Twitter.
The gesture has another meaning especially in the USA @stephenfry .
Innocent mistake I know but a mistake all the same.
— Dave the …….. (@Twitspice) May 13, 2019
Stephen and friends – You might want to be super careful using this symbol if you don’t want to be confused with white supremacist creeps. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that even the kindest of intentions can be taken out of context. https://t.co/KxJ2MXI9Mr
— Alana Dill (@alanapaints) May 13, 2019
Depressingly, you have to be careful with that gesture these days (especially in the US) because of how similar it is to the white supremacy sign.
But otherwise, yes, thanks for sharing.
— Helen Aqua (@HelenAqua) May 13, 2019
Are you aware that this hand symbol can be misinterpreted as support for white supremacy?
— 🌱Goblin (@VincentKonrad) May 13, 2019
Stephen, can you please use this as an opportunity to step away from and denounce enablers of white supremacy like Jordan Peterson?. It’s not a matter of free speech/political correctness/people being offended. It’s a matter of people’s lives.
— Jack Cowie (@JackCowie_NZ) March 15, 2019
Fry would fire back at those trying to claim that the “okay symbol” is a white supremacist symbol. He would write, “PS: I really will not allow the simple 👌 gesture to belong to the moronic dogwhistling catfishing foghorning frogmarching pigsticking dickwaving few who attempt to appropriate it for their own fatuous fantasies.”
PS: I really will not allow the simple 👌 gesture to belong to the moronic dogwhistling catfishing foghorning frogmarching pigsticking dickwaving few who attempt to appropriate it for their own fatuous fantasies. T
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) May 13, 2019
Fry is just the latest to be find himself embroiled in a controversy surrounding the “Okay symbol.” Mortal Kombat 11 changed Johnny Cage’s use of the “Okay” sign to a middle finger. Mortal Kombat developer Daanish Syed indicated the change was made because of “Nazis.”
Blizzard also reportedly banned the use of the symbol in their Overwatch League Arena claiming the “okay sign” was a “white power symbol.” That decision would be praised by TheScore Esport’s Daniel Rosen who claimed, ” The ‘Okay’ hand gesture is a f****** white supremacist thing now. Don’t be mad at Blizzard for banning it. Be mad at white supremacists for taking an innocent thing and ruining it.”
The Anti-Defamation League is pretty clear on the use of the symbol describing it as a “nearly universal hand gesture” that is “completely innocuous.”
“The ‘OK’ gesture is a nearly universal hand gesture and most usage of it is completely innocuous. Even when used as described here, the fact that white supremacists, the alt lite and many Trump supporters all use the symbol means that one cannot assume that anyone who poses with such a gesture is intending or exhibiting an association with white supremacy.”
Fry recently provided voice work alongside Hugh Jackman in [easyazon_link identifier=”B07Q5CPRYM” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Missing Link[/easyazon_link]. He gave voice to Lord Piggot-Dunceby.
What do you make of the people accusing Stephen Fry of white supremacy? What do you think about his response to those accusations?