Photo: Snapchat
Yesterday, seemingly in celebration of stoner holiday 4/20, Snapchat launched their new Bob Marley filter. It didn’t go down well.
The filter - which pastes the reggae icon’s face over the user’s and adds cartoon dreadlocks and a cap - veers dangerously close to blackface. It’s also been criticised for reducing an important cultural and political figure into a poster boy for smoking weed.
BoB Marley stood for more than just weed ...
— B.o.B (@bobatl) April 20, 2016
bob marley was an activist and a talented musician, don't reduce him to being a stoner icon https://t.co/RccO6JZoZE
— space witch (@gracedevies) April 21, 2016
i don't understand why anyone should need it explained to them that having bob marley's legacy reduced to a 420 blackface joke is offensive
— Nasty 1 (@aeridani) April 21, 2016
420/Bob Marley: reducing a man w such political and cultural significance to a guy who got high all the time for your 420 aesthetic is ugly
— buttercup (@pvnk_princess) April 20, 2016
Bob Marley is more than 'One Love', weed and dreads. He was a revolutionary. Remove that racist filter @Snapchat
— ♡ (@glosssu) April 20, 2016
Bob Marley was an activist against racism & bigotry who promoted peace, love & happiness.
— Sean Twick Romano (@SeanTwick) April 20, 2016
Not the face of some stoner holiday.
I'm not even mad about that blackface. I'm upset that bob Marley is mostly associated with smoking when he was SO much more #420 #snapchat
— Chigozie Ndolo (@GozieNdolo) April 20, 2016
Snapchat is celebrating 420 w/ a filter that lets you be Bob Marley in blackface. Snapchat clearly needs to hire more Black people #Happy420
— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) April 20, 2016
In a statement to The Guardian, Snapchat said, "The lens we launched today was created in partnership with the Bob Marley Estate, and gives people a new way to share their appreciation for Bob Marley and his music."
The statement concluded, "Millions of Snapchatters have enjoyed Bob Marley’s music, and we respect his life and achievements.”
