"You're one of the good ones" is a phrase that is generally understood as something racist. But the Twitter account for the popular cartoon, Peanuts, didn't get the memo and is now apologizing.
On Friday, the Peanuts social media account posted a photo of Charlie Brown looking at his Black friend, Franklin, and saying, "You're one of the good ones."
The post is now deleted, but it didn't take long for people on social media to realize what's wrong with the picture.
You know, as racist as this post is, you gotta give the people at Peanuts props for hiring your racist great aunt to do social media. Very progressive pic.twitter.com/FfmtqxBrpX
— Rae Sanni (@raesanni) February 21, 2020
Others were truly curious about the decision-making process when the post was published.
Would give a lot to have been in the room at the exact moment when someone pointed out that this tweet wasn't doing what Peanuts Social Media Person thought it was doing
— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) February 21, 2020
"This is a case in point that diversity isn't enough," wrote author Vanessa Clark. "If there was INCLUSION, if there were black or brown people overseeing this before it was posted first, this wouldn't have EVER happened. I think an apology is in order."
.@Snoopy has since deleted this post/tweet but OMG:
This is a case in point that diversity isn't enough.
If there was INCLUSION, if there were black or brown people overseeing this before it was posted first, this wouldn't have EVER happened.
I think an apology is in order. pic.twitter.com/DAAk4httPy
— Vanessa Clark ????✈️ (@FoxxyGlamKitty) February 21, 2020
Another person on Twitter posted a thread of "the Peanuts gang disrespecting Franklin." One of the posts in the thread shows a photo of Franklin sitting on one side of the table by himself.
you know why. pic.twitter.com/1rY6umqIFr
— Xavier D'Leau (@XavierDLeau) February 21, 2020
There's also a video of the Peanuts bringing Franklin in to rap.
when they called their colored friend to rap pic.twitter.com/LpfE1Q7sBH
— Xavier D'Leau (@XavierDLeau) February 21, 2020
Following the backlash, an apology was issued from the Peanuts' Twitter page.
"Earlier today a tweet from this account, featuring an image of two friends, was misinterpreted. As this was not the intended message of the post, it has been deleted so as not to perpetuate an inaccurate interpretation," the post read. "The post was meant as a celebration of friendship."
Earlier today a tweet from this account, featuring an image of two friends, was misinterpreted. As this was not the intended message of the post, it has been deleted so as not to perpetuate an inaccurate interpretation. The post was meant as a celebration of friendship.
— PEANUTS (@Snoopy) February 21, 2020
According to The Washington Post, Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz integrated Franklin into the comics in 1968 because a teacher named Harriet Glickman wrote a letter, asking him to include a Black character.
“I was thinking about Dr. King, and about having lived through so many years of struggles and the racism and the [divisiveness] that existed,” Glickman told The Post. “This was a culmination that was so painful that I needed to do something."