“Normal people” should avoid wearing red hats because they resemble Make America Great again caps, according to a Chicago-based author.
Rebecca Makkai, 41, tweeted Saturday that she feels “uncomfortable” around anyone wearing red hats these days.
“Like, I see one and my heart does weird shit and then I finally realize it only says Titleist or whatever. Maybe don’t wear red caps anymore, normal people?”:
Is anyone else made really uncomfortable these days by anyone wearing any kind of red baseball cap? Like, I see one and my heart does weird shit and then I finally realize it only says Titleist or whatever. Maybe don't wear red caps anymore, normal people?
— Rebecca Makkai (@rebeccamakkai) September 1, 2019
Makkai also said that sports fans who wear red to cheer for teams such as the Cincinnati Reds, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Washington Nationals should not wear their hats in public.
“Not worth making disenfranchised people feel unsafe,” she said.
On Sunday, Makkai tweeted that the red MAGA hat has become a “symbol of hate” because of the so-called behavior of its wearers.
“If you’re here to be contrary: an equivalent here would be western Hindus choosing not to use the swastika symbol in public despite it being sacred to their faith because it would offend/frighten people. The red hat has become a symbol of hate bc of how its wearers act”:
If you’re here to be contrary: an equivalent here would be western Hindus choosing not to use the swastika symbol in public despite it being sacred to their faith because it would offend/frighten people. The red hat has become a symbol of hate bc of how its wearers act.
— Rebecca Makkai (@rebeccamakkai) September 1, 2019
Makkai’s initial tweet has so far been liked more than 19,600 times and shared over 1,500 times. However, reports said she blocked several users after they criticized her for being “triggered” by red hats.
One user, John Betts, reportedly called out Makkai for her viewpoints by saying that the author’s comments were intolerant of other political stances.
“It’s a hat, and this is a Free Country,” Betts said. “The very fact that you’re triggered by the hat shows what a serious problem you have with tolerating opposing political views.”
However, Makkai responded by saying, “Please note that I was specifically addressing ‘normal people,'” inferring that her critics are not normal.
On Monday, Makkai wrote in a tweet that a red hat is “not [her] idea of oppression” and questioned why social media users would see her comments as censorship.
“It’s also interesting (I mean that sincerely) that ppl will take a tweet w a ‘maybe’ and two question marks (by someone with no real sway) as policing, bullying, censoring,” she wrote. “Is that their idea of oppression? (And no, dumbass, a red hat is not my idea of oppression, don’t try.)”
The author’s website states that her novel The Great Believers was a “finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and received the ALA Carnegie Medal and the LA Times Book Prize, among other honors.”
Makkai is currently the artistic director of StoryStudio Chicago.
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