Snapchat's Bob Marley "420" Snafu

Looking over at the trending list in Twitter, you'll see that there are currently about 64k tweets about Bob Marley. Why? Well today is April 20th aka 420, the unofficial stoner holiday and to show how hip they are, Snapchat unveiled a "lens" (filter) that allows users to morph their images so that they're shown with cartoonish dreadlocks and so that their faces look a bit more like Bob's — including a darkening of skin tone.

Clumsy? Maybe. The end of the world? Certainly not.

Nonetheless, thousands of social media users have taken the opportunity to express their faux outrage over Bob Marley being "reduced to a stoner icon" to prove how sensitive and enlightened they are. Websites are crammed with opinion pieces about the same and about how the filter is tantamount to "digital blackface." To name just a few sites with similar pieces: Wired, The Verge, Endgaget, Forbes, New York Daily News, Salon, Cnet, Salon, Mashable, Buzzfeed and even High freaking Times — and that's only a sampling.

The problem is that Bob Marley was a stoner icon in his lifetime by his own volition. Consider the lyrics to the song Kaya:

I feel so high, I even touch the sky
Above the falling rain
I feel so good in my neighborhood, so
Here I come again

I've got to have kaya now
I've got to have kaya now
I've got to have kaya now

for the rain is falling

Or how about the lyrics to Rita Marley's One Draw, a song written by Bob Marley:

I wanna get high, so high
I wanna get high, so high
One draw, one draw
One draw, one draw
Hey Rastaman, hey what you say
Give me some of your sinse

Kaya is patois slang for marijuana as is sensi (short for sensimilla which iirc is borrowed from the Spanish and means "without seeds"). Bob Marley also had his own rendition of Peter Tosh's Legalize It which has lyrics such as:

Legalize it. Don't criticize it... yeaah yeeaah and I will advertise it.

How about the multitude of quotes like "Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction." or "When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself" or the fact that in about half of all portraits of Bob Marley, he's got a spliff in his hand or mouth?

Finally, it should be noted that Snapchat was working with the Bob Marley Estate in creating the filter which I assume includes some oversight by his heirs.

In summation, Bob Marley's advocacy was a very real, legitimate and in fact, inextricable part of his legacy.

Sounds like they are just looking for something to get mad about.

They should follow his lead and just chiiiiilllllllll

Yea I'd venture to say that if he will still alive he'd be pulling a willie Nelson or tommy Chong... Advocating hard and probably living where it's legal.

Also not paying a lick of attention to social justice warriors that need to get mad just for the sake of getting mad.

Bob was proud of his heritage,which includes his skin color and his herb of choice.

Another riveting episode of

"When keepin it PC goes wrong"

originally posted by: theantediluvian
faux outrage

Isn't that the single most motivating factor of our time? People seem determined to be "outraged" over the opinions AND PERSONAL DECISIONS of other people... How embarrassing. If it's online, you can bet someone's going to be pissed about it and develop several hashtags so more and more can climb on the holier-than-thou bandwagon... Sad. People need to get a life OF THEIR OWN... LOL!

Anyway, have a happy day.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

It irritates me that I'm now ranting about my "outrage" over their "outrage."

Actually, what frustrates me the most is seeing people ostensibly on the political Left being the caricatures of themselves used by the Right to invalidate leftist opinions.

a reply to: theantediluvian
When I see a photo of Bob Marley, the first thing that comes to mind is ganja.

Some of these people need to get a life.

a reply to: Bennyzilla

Finally something we can agree about. Unfortunate that it had to be this!

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

It irritates me that I'm now ranting about my "outrage" over their "outrage."

Actually, what frustrates me the most is seeing people ostensibly on the political Left being the caricatures of themselves used by the Right to invalidate leftist opinions.

You aren't really outraged, are you?

I know I'm not.
I just giggle at them and shake my dreadlock-less head.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I think he would be proud of his legacy and frankly people and their faux outrage is getting old. I couldn't agree more with your OP. It is almost like facts don't matter anymore.

a reply to: butcherguy

You mean like this:



It just boggles the mind how anyone could possibly view Bob Marley as a stoner icon!

a reply to: butcherguy

No, no, that's why I put it in quotes. The word outrage is so common these days that it has started to lose its meaning. I'm just a little frustrated by how absurd the reactions are.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Sounds like they need to follow his philosophy.

a reply to: theantediluvian

The irony of you posting that OP is not lost on me, particularly because I've received your criticism over my own posts which ridiculed the very special snowflakes you've decided to lash out against today.

This is a good day.

As far as the aggrieved go, I'd suggest they STFU and do what Bob would have done in this situation.

This world is so damn strange.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

The irony isn't lost on me either but I call it like I see it. Here's another bit of irony for you:

Today is International Peter Tosh Day (which originated in Jamaica). Peter Tosh was no less a revolutionary than his friend and band mate and this day was deliberately chosen for his holiday for its associations.

Yet nobody is decrying the evil of diminishing Peter Tosh's legacy. I think what people miss is that the music, the politics, the religion and the smoking were all inextricably linked.

He was the ultimate stoner.

It's part of the Rastafarian religion, a bit like communion wine if you like, only much much better.

I'm so outraged by the people being outraged, it's totally outrageous.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
He was the ultimate stoner.

It's part of the Rastafarian religion, a bit like communion wine if you like, only much much better.

I'm so outraged by the people being outraged, it's totally outrageous.

you being outraged is starting to make me feel outrag...
hmmm... i better go burn one, and listen to some of my old Marley records.

Today also happens to be Hitler's birthday: April 20, 1889. There's a joke in there somewhere about a Hitler filter (a "Filtler?" "Hiltler?") with a little funny mustache.

a reply to: theantediluvian

It's also the anniversary of both Columbine and Deepwater Horizon, neither of which should have any jokes associated with them.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Bob Marleys dad was a white English man so what aspect of his color are the SJW's seeing phantom ghosts about?I wonder(sic)
These people are so ignorant they are have a serious case of delusional paranoia.

Shame the man is not still alive so he could cuss these nut jobs with a few wise soulful words.