Remember two years ago when social media was set on fire with videos revealing that the Sesame Place amusement park was actually a bastion for white supremacy?
The furor started when videos circulating on social media appeared to show Rosita, one of the theme park’s mascots, ignoring black children who wanted a hug.
For those who might not remember, here’s some of the footage.
Despite the fact that other footage clearly shows the character hugging other black children, leftists on social media continued to stir up outrage about the issue, which ended up leading to a class action lawsuit from parents who claim their children were discriminated against because of their skin color.
Now, a Pennsylvania jury has found Sesame Place and its parent company, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, not liable for racial discrimination, two years after the viral video prompted internet outrage. The jury’s unanimous verdict was handed down on Wednesday and concluded that the theme park did not discriminate against the children.
The lawsuit sought a ridiculous $25 million in damages. The plaintiffs alleged that the girls were intentionally snubbed because of their race and claimed other children of different ethnicities received more attention during their visit.
Sesame Place denied the allegations, pointing out how the mascot’s costume restricts visibility – a fact I can attest to because I’ve worn them in the past.
After the outrage over the incident, Sesame Place decided to waste money on mandatory anti-bias training for its employees. “We want every guest at our park to feel welcomed and safe,” the company said.
“The facts presented demonstrate that we treat our guests equally,” Sesame Place added.
The plaintiffs are reportedly evaluating their next steps following the verdict.
This case highlights how social media is often used to foment outrage and drive false narratives, largely for clout, clicks, and cash. Several race grifters jumped on the story, using it to further convince their audiences that everything is racist – even Sesame Street characters, a fact RedState’s Bonchie pointed out.
What is truly disturbing about this story is that social media can be used to highlight legitimate instances of racism or other types of bigotry. However, with the prevalence of cynical bad actors on these platforms, it seems to be more often used to promote false narratives aimed at ginning up division and outrage – especially when they share viral clips that do not include the full context of the situation.
In fact, if you hop on X as of this writing, you won’t see any of the race grifters commenting on the verdict. Apparently, the truth isn’t quite as lucrative as mindless race baiting.
This story is one of many showing how important it is not to instantly believe everything on social media – especially when the context is not quite clear. Unfortunately, there will be more fake controversies because of America’s current political landscape.
