Marshall Henderson isn’t a bigot, he’s a scholar. The former Ole Miss Basketball player made a few anti-gay remarks on Twitter this morning. But before you get upset you should know that this was all part of a big social experiment.
Well, that’s what Henderson says at least.
Henderson felt the wrath of Twitter after he complained about Michael Sam, an openly gay football player, being drafted into the NFL.
https://twitter.com/NativeFlash22/statuses/465845074215960577
https://twitter.com/NativeFlash22/statuses/465855207767695360
Twitter was quick to jump on Henderson for his anti-gay remarks. The former Ole Miss player let the hate pour in from around the internet and then he did something pretty unexpected. He told his fans that he was simply conducting a social experiment.
https://twitter.com/NativeFlash22/status/465864232655785984
https://twitter.com/NativeFlash22/status/465866311973629954
Henderson said that the point of his “study” was to see how people react to anti-gay remarks. As for his real views on the LGBT community…. well, apparently he didn’t think that was relevant to his social experiment.
https://twitter.com/NativeFlash22/status/465866311973629954
Marshall Henderson may have been trying to prove a point about internet culture. He may have been trying to figure out something about society. He may have had good intentions. Regardless, this was a ridiculous way to conduct a social experiment.
Why? Well, isn’t it pretty obvious by now that the internet can react in a pretty extreme fashion? Isn’t it pretty obvious that anti-gay remarks are almost always met with online fury? Is this all self-evident except to Marshall Henderson?
After the NBA hopeful unveiled his social experiment the internet took turns poking fun of Henderson’s academic credentials.
https://twitter.com/brianrzeppa/status/465887055193858048
Noted academic researcher Marshall Henderson: pic.twitter.com/9LtFEdAu3b
— The Pickle (@sportspickle) May 12, 2014
https://twitter.com/DanWetzel/status/465883567591944192
The worst part about Marshall Henderson’s little social experiment was that he turned Michael Sam’s moment into a little game for his own enjoyment. He even had the audacity to thank Michael Sam for making his social experiment possible. Yes, because that’s exactly what Michael Sam has been trying to achieve. Forget being the first openly gay player in the NFL. Sam really just wanted Marshall Henderson to notice him.
https://twitter.com/NativeFlash22/status/465874377867673600
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