NOVEMBER 20, 2018
Pooja Shali While posing for a photograph with Twitter’s India team, Jack Dorsey was seen holding a poster that read “Smash Brahminical patriarchy”.
Social media site, Twitter, was caught in a massive controversy on Monday as Indian users slammed the site’s CEO, Jack Dorsey for holding a political poster during his visit to the country. The photograph was from a gathering where Twitter CEO met people from varied fields.
Jack was photographed holding a poster that read, “Smash Brahminical patriarchy” and posed with a group of women, including journalists, writers, and activists. Users, mainly Right-leaning, outraged against the CEO, accusing him of attacking an “ethnic group” and questioning why only Left-wing individuals were invited to the meet.
Amid the controversy, Twitter India was forced to release an unofficial statement, clarifying that a member had offered the poster to Dorsey and assuring that Twitter believes in hearing all voices.
The storm erupted after a journalist shared a group photograph at the event with Dorsey surrounded by Twitter’s Amrita Tripathi, its legal head Vijaya Gadde and other activists and writers.
Sharing the photograph, journalist Anna MM Vetticad wrote, “took part in a roundtable with some of us women journalists, activists, writers… to discuss the Twitter experience in India. A very insightful, no-words-minced conversation.”
Throughout the day, Indian users questioned possible reasons the head of a global social media site would decide to hold a poster targeting one group, considering he had not made any such statements through the visit.
By evening, the Twitter India handle defended itself, stating, “Recently, we hosted a closed-door discussion with a group of women journalists and changemakers from India to better understand their experience using Twitter. One of the participants, a Dalit activist, shared her personal experiences and gifted a poster to Jack.”
Courtesy/Source: India Today
