Is 'U Mad, Bro?' Racist?

Desi Jedeikin

Oh dear! Looks like we have another meme controversy on our hands! You might remember back in July, planking was declared racist by rapper/meme star Xhibit. Well now it looks like the 'U mad, bro?' meme is also being accused of having racist connections. Yup! Some people are really mad, bro!

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Last weekend at a high school football game in Ohio, Kirtland High students unveiled a sign that said 'You Mad Bro' during a game against Painsville Harvey. Now the local chapter of the NAACP is declaring taht the display of the sign was an act of 'racial intimidation.' The superintendent of Painsville City Schools, Michael Hanlon, had this to say: "I think the reference to 'bro' in the sign definitely has a racial connection to it." Here's a look at the offending sign. The only offensive thing I see is the utter lack of any artistic panache.

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Not only are charges of racism being bandied about, but according to Painsville Harvey football player Jerome Brooks, "For them to put it up there that was bad sportsmanship, too." Crap, I was just gonna suggest that they paint the following bro-less taunt on a sign, but I guess that would still be bad sportsmanship. And probably not a very snappy catchphrase.

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So surprise, surprise, a staple trolling technique used to further enrage someone has done just that. Well done, Kirtland High! Perhaps a little too well done, I might add. But seriously, all anyone would have to do is a quick Google search and they would see 'U mad, bro?' is not racist, it's just a little  jerky. And when done correctly, highly-amusing.

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And furthermore...bro is not racist! It's sexist! I kid, I kid.

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Here's the clip that started the whole 'U mad?' craze to begin with, it shows that the origins are clearly Bill O'Reilly-ist. 

What do you think? Is 'U mad, bro?' racist? Or are they just mad? I wanna hear your thoughts! Hit me up @desijedeikin or let me know in the the comments!

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