Whether we're talking about the extremely dubious or the pro-Trump yeasayers, the reaction has been as expected: insane.This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first. #trump2016 pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016
Like piece of shit father, like piece of shit son. https://t.co/KHZRCANKa4 — Reza Aslan (@rezaaslan) September 20, 2016
Beyond the blinding stupidity & accidental great argument for firing all cops, this was punctuated by an illiterate. pic.twitter.com/UfUowGGjI9
— Nima Shirazi (@WideAsleepNima) September 20, 2016
The more that comes to light about the post, the more offensive it seems. BBC has reported that the photographer who took the image of the Skittles told them that he is a Cypriot refugee himself and that the image was used without his permission. He said, "I don't support his politics and I would never take his money to use it." If that's not bad enough, the tweet wasn't even original—as Raw Story pointed out, the "poisoned candy" analogy is a meme favored by neo-Nazis and white supremacists for years.The people at M&M must be collectively enjoying a sigh of relief as they watch the unmitigated clusterfuck unfold. Skittles, meanwhile, has issued a stock—but cutting—response: "Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don't feel it's an appropriate analogy. We will respectfully refrain from further commentary as anything we say could be misinterpreted as marketing."Skittles. pic.twitter.com/inCjwrwzfd — Nish Weiseth (@NishWeiseth) September 20, 2016
But, on second thought, maybe they shouldn't be so surprised. Candy has undoubtedly been used in the political sphere to incite racial hatred, bigotry, and xenophobia for a damn long time—and in multiple countries. If you ever wanted evidence of humanity's ability to wreak havoc, witness the use of sweet treats to promote nasty ideology.I mean it's kind of sad that Skittles had to actually say "refugees are people"
— Hussein Kesvani (@HKesvani) September 20, 2016
Hey @DonaldJTrumpJr, this is one of the millions of children you compared to a poisoned Skittle today: https://t.co/SDSGw0eUIP pic.twitter.com/HuhY9RGvWW — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 20, 2016
Risk of being killed by refugee is 1 in 3.64 billion. Or 1.5 Olympic pools full of skittles. https://t.co/lrdW3Igtd0 pic.twitter.com/9cVJ0NaD71
— Reza Aslan (@rezaaslan) September 20, 2016
We've previously reported on how the leader of a right-wing group in Austria bemoaned "the good old days … when a popular sweet called Negerküsse" (or "Negro kiss") was all the rage. And how an anti-Islamist, nationalist party in Germany, the AfD, was unabashedly handing out branded gummy bears to entice voters to abandon cultural and religious pluralism in favor of frenzied nationalism and xenophobia.Fixed it for you, @DonaldJTrumpJr pic.twitter.com/FoyFWqxmJT — Omar Ghabra (@omarghabra) September 20, 2016
Betsy Fisher, Policy Director for the Urban Justice Center's International Refugee Assistance Project, told MUNCHIES the following: "As many have pointed out, refugees are human beings who must be treated with dignity. Further, refugees make significant contributions wherever they are welcomed, including opening businesses and building cultural connections between countries of origin and countries of resettlement. Welcoming refugees promotes the fundamental American value of protecting those who are fleeing from torture and persecution."On the other hand, a spokesperson for Amnesty International told us that despite working "extensively on the human rights of refugees, as a 501(c)(3) organization we are legally prohibited from commenting on the campaigns of any of the presidential candidates." You'll just have to imagine what their response would be.READ MORE: 'Latinos for Trump' Founder Thinks 'Taco Trucks on Every Corner' Would Be a Bad Thing
The bottom line is that even though Donald Trump Jr.'s comment is most certainly reductive of Syrian refugees, a multifaceted group of 11 million or so people, using the rainbow as a metaphor for the immigrants that make up America at large would be pretty apt. After all, a rainbow-themed candy, just like a country, is only as tasty as the multicolored sum of its parts.READ MORE: We Asked Food Policy Experts What They Thought of Trump's Plan to Dissolve the FDA