Explained: Why Twitter CEO’s tone-deaf tweets about Myanmar set people off – Qrius

The CEO of micro-blogging platform Twitter courted another controversy over his recent meditation retreat to Myanmar, just weeks after caving to Hindu outrage in India and apologising for holding up a poster saying “Smash Brahminical Patriarchy”.

Jack Dorsey tweeted last weekend about his vipasana retreat saying, “Myanmar is an absolutely beautiful country. The people are full of joy and the food is amazing.” In a series of tweets, the billionaire CEO posted pictures of a barren monastery room in which he stayed during the retreat, his playlist featuring Kendrick Lamar, and an analysis of his heart rate while meditating.

For my birthday this year, I did a 10-day silent vipassana meditation, this time in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar . We went into silence on the night of my birthday, the 19th. Here’s what I know

— jack (@jack) December 9, 2018
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However, there was no reference to the Rohingya crisis, which angered Twitter users and human rights observers all over the world, especially in light of the recent allegations blaming social media for the spread of hate speech against ethnic minorities.

Some Twitter users lost it after Dorsey, who has the means to help the refugees and introduce stringent regulations to protect minorities from hate speech, asked: “how do I stop suffering?”

Jack Dorsey has a net worth of $4.5 billion and has the gall to ask himself, “how do I stop suffering?” in a country that is committing genocide against Rohingya Muslims https://t.co/ttGcJPDfO9

— the communist daughter (@priyavprabhakar) December 9, 2018
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What is the Rohingya crisis?


The horrific massacres and extrajudicial killings of Muslim minorities in a Buddhist-majority Myanmar began on August 25 last year. Villages in the Rakhine state were razed, women were raped, children and men were brutally murdered. This ultimately led to a mass exodus.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims, now displaced and living in refugee camps across Bangladesh, spoke to a team of investigators from the United Nations Human Rights Council providing clear evidence that suggests a gross violation of human rights and one of the most violent military crackdowns in recent history aimed at erasing an ethnic minority.

The crimes are “shocking for their horrifying nature and ubiquity” and “for the level of denial, normalcy and impunity that is attached to them”, the researchers concluded, demanding punitive action against some of the military generals. “Many of these violations undoubtedly amount to the gravest crimes under international law.” Although the number of fatalities hasn’t be ascertained yet, the UN team says that it is “conservative” to assume that it is somewhere near 10,000.

The army has denied the claims of ethnic cleansing from the beginning and continues to maintain that they were responding to insurgency attacks by a Rohingya Muslim militant group. The refugees continue to live without home, basic rights or citizenship, and are wary of repatriation, talks for which are currently underway despite warning from the UN.

What was Dorsey’s response?


Responding to the criticism over his failure to mention the plight of Rohingya Muslims and for ignoring Myanmar’s treatment of the community, Dorsey tweeted on Wednesday that he was “aware of the human rights atrocities and suffering in Myanmar” and that his visit was “purely personal”.

We know we can’t do this alone, and continue to welcome conversation with and help from civil society and NGOs within the region. I had no conversations with the government or NGOs during my trip. We’re always open to feedback on how to best improve.

— jack (@jack) December 11, 2018
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He added that he did not “intend to diminish by not raising the issue, but could have acknowledged that I don’t know enough and need to learn more”.

Is social media a mouthpiece for hate speech?


Dorsey’s act of actively ignoring the extrajudicial violence against the Rohingya Muslims furthered angered Twitter users because much of it has been fuelled by social media. Several fact-finding teams have established that the spread of anti-Rohingya rhetoric on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook peaked in Myanmar during the military crackdown. The UN accused Facebook of “substantively” contributing to hate speech as Islamophobic posts on Facebook were linked to at least three violent incidents in the country.

Dorsey responded by saying that Twitter was a way for people to share news and information about events in Myanmar, as well as “bear witness to the plight of the Rohingya and other peoples and communities”. He added, “We’re actively working to address emerging issues. This includes violent extremism and hateful conduct.”

What was the brahminical patriarchy row about?


Earlier this month, Dorsey faced the wrath of upper-class Hindu users for lending support, albeit sheepishly, to the legitimate cause of smashing brahmanical patriarchy that has oppressed women along lines of gender, caste and class for centuries.

On December 4, Dorsey posed with a poster that read “Smash Brahmanical Patriarchy” after a meeting with a group of female journalists in India. The message incited flack and outrage from upper-caste HIndus who perceived it as an attack on their historical hegemony and even sought legal recourse against Dorsey, filing a case against him for hurting sentiments and hate-mongering.

Rajasthan HC stays FIR against Twitter CEO on ‘Brahminical patriarchy’ https://t.co/pYUPCDxtV9 pic.twitter.com/krWNZIM3o6

— The Wire (@thewire_in) December 12, 2018
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As the outrage gathered momentum, the company’s legal and public policy chief Vijaya Gadde eventually apologised individually to several users, as did Dorsey, presumably so as to not alienate users in one of Twitter’s largest global markets.

With proper moderation and regulation, social media platforms can shape the discourse a particular issue. But it would require a politically proactive executive who is senstitive to the cause of minorities, and believes in the ethical and human use of technology. Time and again, Dorsey has proven to be ineffectual in rising to the occasion.


Prarthana Mitra is a staff writer at Qrius.

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