Eric Metaxas, a Christian author and radio host, faced severe trolling on Twitter this week.
via: Complex
The evangelical author and Christian radio host received backlash this week when he recalled his bizarre interaction with a group of Harlem teens. Metaxas claimed he was running through Central Park when he spotted four minors smoking marijuana.
“As I passed them I shouted in a firm but friendly voice: ‘Smells like failure!’ and kept going,” Metaxas tweeted Thursday. “I said it as an act of love, honestly. I hope that at some point one of them might think about it.”
Today on my run up through Central Park in Harlem I saw four teenagers smoking weed. As I passed them I shouted in a firm but friendly voice: "Smells like failure!" and kept going. I said it as an act of love, honestly. I hope that at some point one of them might think about it.
— Eric Metaxas (@ericmetaxas) May 4, 2023
Twitter users wasted little time flaming Metaxas for his self-congratulatory and embarrassing anecdote. Justice reform activists, social commentators, and even Stephen A. Smith participated in the roast session, which included insults like “nerd,” “narc,” and “total tool,” as well as allegations of racism. Some suspected Metaxas’ actions were rooted in bigotry, as he claimed the incident went down in the predominately Black neighborhood of Harlem.
The Veggie Tales writer has yet to directly respond to the criticism but has shared a link to 2023 Telegraph article that explored the alleged link between marijuana use and schizophrenia.
You can check out some of the reactions below.
pic.twitter.com/VEKamb2i3w https://t.co/rRRqmiNvce
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 5, 2023
Smells like racism to me…
— Renee says STOP #CopCities & #Imperialism (@RJohnston815) May 5, 2023
Fucking nerd narc
— The Serfs (@theserfstv) May 5, 2023
“Sounds like someone whose children actively avoid him.” (Tweeted with love.)
— Christie Smythe (@ChristieSmythe) May 5, 2023
Smells like privileged White men.
— RailroadedUnderground (@RailroadUnderg1) May 5, 2023
Lots of people try to avoid becoming a sad old dork when they grow up, it’s refreshing to see that you bucked that trend and embraced it fully.
— Andrew Hilary ?? (@AndrewHilaryUS) May 5, 2023
Did they yell nerd boomer in response?
— Adam Schroeder (@AdamSchroeder) May 5, 2023
— Cori (DemShenaniganss) ? | #TDST ?? (@DemShenanigans) May 5, 2023
