NASCAR Driver Noah Gragson Totals Career After Liking Meme Mocking George Floyd’s Death
Common decency can save you so much money.
There’s apparently no longer any room for gleefully mocking the dead in today’s woke world. NASCAR driver Noah Gragson was suspended indefinitely after his social media account liked an insensitive meme. While this might seem absurdly censorious, like “The Good Place” afterlife where you can only say “fork” or “shirt,” let’s first take a look at the offending meme, which will properly horrify you.
Yeah, so your eyes aren’t deceiving you, even if your human soul wishes they were. This is an image of Sebastian the crab from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, with a picture of Floyd’s face clumsily photoshopped over his head. The text references the classic number, “Under the Sea,” with the revised lyrics “Under Da Knee, Under Da Knee.” Weird Al Yankovic would not be proud.
This is hilarious because former police officer and convicted murderer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds while a dying Floyd cried out for his mother.
Everyone has a right to appreciate grotesque, dehumanizing humor, just as we have a right to consider those people assholes. Rights all around! However, it seems that Gragson violated Section 4.3.E in the Cup Rule Book, which states that NASCAR members “shall not make or cause to be made a public statement and/or communication that criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition.”
George Floyd is dead, which is a seriously “handicapping condition.” It’s a popular right-wing narrative that Chauvin got a raw deal, and Floyd was a drug addict who would’ve died anyway even if Chauvin hadn’t fatally cut off his air supply. It’s true of all murders victims, though, that they would’ve died eventually even if they weren’t murdered. We’re all mortals here. Still, it’s sick to mock not just a man’s death but the torturous way he was killed.
Saturday, Legacy Motor Club distanced itself from the 25-year-old Gragson, stating that his actions “do not represent the values of our team” and announcing that Josh Berry would replace him as driver of the No. 42 car in the weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Michigan.
NASCAR said it “fully supports Legacy Motor Club’s decision to suspend Noah Gragson. Following his actions on social media, NASCAR has determined that Gragson has violated the Member Conduct section of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book and has placed him under indefinite suspension.”
The usual fools online accused NASCAR of going “woke” and lamented that someone could lose their “career and livelihood” because they liked a meme. Look, at-will employment is hardly a Marxist concept, and even the most generous employment environment will cut you loose if you violate a clearly stated workplace policy.
Although the anti-wokesters insisted that Gragson shouldn’t apologize, Gragson was at least smart enough not to take their advice. He posted on what was once Twitter, “I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media. I understand the severity of this situation. I love and appreciate everyone. I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple.”
There’s no denying that Gragson “messed up.” Chevrolet, the nameplate on the No. 42 of Legacy Motor Club, released this terse statement Saturday: “Noah’s actions do not align with our beliefs and brand values. We will work with Legacy Motor Club on next steps.”
George Floyd was brutally murdered on May 25, 2020, and three years later, he remains dead. Regardless of the inevitable right-wing media whine fest to come, Noah Gragson is still far better off than George Floyd.
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>>The usual fools online accused NASCAR of going “woke” and lamented that someone could lose their “career and livelihood” because they liked a meme. <<
Kathy Griffin on line 1
Dixie Chicks on line 2
Colin Kaepernick on line 3
My Sister-in-Law has always had bad taste in men. Married and divorced assholes twice. She's currently dating a very conservative guy she knew way back in high school. SiL's gay daughter happened to see shared/liked memes on boyfriends phone that were anti-LGBTQ. Hullabaloo ensues.
SiL has a doctorate and two masters and she's very liberal. I just don't get why she likes assholes.