Funny or Insensitive? Chris Pratt Gets Massive Backlash Over Voting Joke
Another day, another insensitive joke. This time, it's Chris Pratt who is placed on the hot seat after his joke did not come off funny as much as it was offensive.
Chris must not be enjoying his social media right now as users attack him on his recent joke about voting. For most of his followers, it was rude, not funny, and certainly not timely.
The Marvel star was promoting his Pixar film "Onward" and encouraging people on the Internet to go and vote for today's People's Choice Awards when he thought of placing a little joke in.
Readers, however, did not appreciate his post and bashed him for being insensitive and tone-deaf. Of course, there are also those who said they got the joke and that those who got furious over it are actually the ones with the problem.
"With all that's going on in the world it is more important than ever that you vote," Pratt wrote on Instagram. "Just ask any celebrity. They will tell you. Every day. Several times a day. To vote. But me? I will tell you EXACTLY who to vote for."
Pratt is pertaining to how celebrities have been encouaraging people to vote in the upcoming elections in every chance they get. Fans thought Pratt was doing the same thing until his next few lines.
He added, "The heroes before us did not spill their blood only to have their sacrifices wasted by your apathy. The upcoming 2020 People's Choice Awards is the most consequential vote in the history of mankind times a million infinity."
Yes, he did not mean the upcoming presidential elections.
Pratt concluded his post by "Vote for #Onward for family movie of the year." He even added some words of encouraging (or threat!) for some good measure. "Or else. You WILL die. No hyperbole. Click the link in my bio. Let your voice be heard."
Some felt amused by the wit that went behind the post. Most people, however, felt he used the very important issue of voting to feed his own agenda. Others said that the fact he has the privilege to do this means he's tone-deaf and truly does not see the real value of the election. Others even fear that he has encouraged many others to undermine the elections.
One said that he gets Pratt is trying a cute joke to make people vote for "Onward," but it really came off as insensitive because his project is unlikely to be much more important than the state of the country one day. The critic wrote that the upcoming election is really important, and to use that as an ad for his movie is a foul move.
Another follower said that he is "super insensitive" because in effect, he was actually mocking people.
Furthermore, another critic pointed out how tone-deaf he is because only a truly privileged person can think of joking about the elections to promote one's own work.
Those who defended Pratt claimed that people had lost their sense of humor. They said it was a lighthearted post that said nothing wrong. In fact, the bashers themselves might be the ones with issues because they assumed people would just take the upcoming elections less seriously just because the actor decided to use it to talk about the People's Choice Awards.
Chris Pratt is yet to react to the backlash. His Twitter is silent and the controversial post is still on his Instagram.