Paul Ryan posts historic selfie on instagram

[wire28]

#InternsSoWhite? Paul Ryan's Instagram post goes viral

While giving a speech to congressional interns earlier this week, Ryan spun around and snapped a selfie with the audience. On Saturday, the photo was posted on the Speaker’s official Instagram account with the caption: “I think this sets a record for the most number of #CapitolHill interns in a single selfie. #SpeakerSelfie.”

Ryan’s picture has since gone viral — but not because of the number of interns featured in it. Rather, many have criticized the photo for a different, conspicuous detail: almost everyone in the shot is white.

As Twitter users lambasted the lack of diversity in the speaker’s selfie, some began tweeting with the hashtag #GOPSoWhite — a reference to the #OscarsSoWhite campaign that criticized the dearth of diversity among Academy Award nominees.

According to RJ Khalaf, an intern for Congressman André Carson (D-Ind.), Ryan’s speech was part of the Congressional Summer Intern Lecture Series.

Khalaf says that Ryan’s speech had a limited capacity, so interns were randomly selected to attend in a lottery. The interns in the picture work for congresspeople of both parties, he says.

“I don’t think this necessarily reflects poorly on Paul Ryan,” says Khalaf. “Sure, it shows his privilege and inability to see the lack of diversity. However, it’s a better representation of the fact that so many interns on the Hill are not people of color.”

While not everyone blamed Ryan for the make-up of the audience, some on Twitter criticized the speaker for the decision to publicly post the photo.

There doesn’t seem to be data available on the demographics of Capitol Hill interns, but a December 2015 report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found that just 7.1% of senior Senate staff were people of color. According to the Pew Research Center, non-white people hold only 17% of elected seats in the 114th Congress — which still ranks as the most diverse Congress ever.

Perhaps the best way to summarize the studies’ findings is in Twitter parlance: #CongressSoWhite.

i still cant find the black person

 

[Dat Migo]

I see an Asian and an Indian/Arab/Hispanic chick..

 

[ⒶⓁⒾⒶⓈ]

She is 3rd from the pillar on the right

And like i said this says more about the groupthink conformity and lack of independent thinking among Black people than it does about Paul ryan...

what was he to do if Black people dont apply for GOP internships.

 

[theworldismine13]

That picture means absolutely nothing

Black people need to stop this constant pursuit of diversity and integration

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Truth be told, how many interns was Paul Ryan gonna have?

 

[ⒶⓁⒾⒶⓈ]

Theres probably more pokemon in there than nikkas......

 

[acri1]

She is 3rd from the pillar on the right

And like i said this says more about the groupthink conformity and lack of independent thinking among Black people than it does about Paul ryan...

what was he to do if Black people dont apply for GOP internships.

Yeah, I'm sure it has nothing to do with the GOP spending the last 50 years antagonizing minorities.

Nah, black people just woke up one day and decided they hated Republicans for no reason.

 

[ⒶⓁⒾⒶⓈ]

Yeah, I'm sure it has nothing to do with the GOP spending the last 50 years antagonizing minorities.

Nah, black people just woke up one day and decided they hated Republicans for no reason.

The democrats were the party of Jim crow and KKK up until Barry goldwater...we forgave them for 140 years of racism in just one or two election cycles

 

[DerrtySouthpaw]

the republicans on here are white too.. connect like dots dont it?

 

[KRiLL (+)]

i see one asian, one indian but

 

[mitter]

 

[DEAD7]

That picture means absolutely nothing

This.

 

[Real]

God damn rnc are corny as fukk.

 

[88m3]

That picture means absolutely nothing

Black people need to stop this constant pursuit of diversity and integration

I thought it was Black people need to be more involved in politics?

 

[theworldismine13]

I thought it was Black people need to be more involved in politics?

I said black people should be more involved in capitalism and economics so that then we can buy politicians, instead of worrying about trinkets like diversity or affirmative action

Money is more important than diversity, that's why this picture means nothing