Prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson deleted tweets he sent out Monday night that accused the upcoming movie War for the Planet of the Apes of "dehumanizing" him and associating black people with apes.
The poster for the movie depicts one ape wearing a blue vest, which led some social media users to argue that the movie was referencing Mckesson and his famous blue vest that he often wears.
https://twitter.com/tariqnasheed/status/884454510730502144
https://twitter.com/samswey/status/884546674835677184
Wow. So wrong.
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) July 11, 2017
Mckesson was offended and sent out two tweets describing his disgust with the movie poster. He later deleted the tweets but Washington Examiner writer T. Becket Adams took a screenshot before they were erased.
"Given the history of rendering black people as apes, I'm offended & appalled by the lack of consciousness in Hollywood. #PlanetOfTheApes," Mckesson wrote. "In associating black people w/ apes, active work is being done to perpetuate the dehumanization of black ppl in mass media."
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/884620478035439616
Others on social media noted that the movie poster might be referencing the 1968 original Planet of the Apes film in which some of the ape characters wore a blue vest.
You're outraged because they're recreating the look of the original ape in 1968. You don't own wearing blue vests man. Grow up. pic.twitter.com/XF9b0DurVt
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 11, 2017
Crying out loud. Blue tunic everywhere in 1st movie. Used specifically to differentiate soldier apes from the others. Watch the damn movie. pic.twitter.com/NiHLDDZe19
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) July 11, 2017