Boxer Laila Ali, daughter to late boxing champion Muhammad Ali, is in hot water after making incendiary comments about COVID-19. The athlete spoke out in defense of anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers, and sent Twitter into a frenzy.
The orthographic melee began when Ali posted that anti-maskers were exercising a “God given choice” to do so.
From there, Ali’s statements became even more troubling.
Yikes. Laila Ali is a jackass. pic.twitter.com/C1dUJbCDPx
— Federico Chispas (@dfsparks) August 18, 2021
“People don’t seem to understand that just b/c some folks don’t wear masks, don’t want the shot, don’t listen to the media or live in fear…it doesn’t mean they don’t ‘believe’ the virus is real or think they can’t get it! They know it was created to harm humanity!” Ali wrote.
This stoked the ire of many social media observers. As the Delta variant of COVID-19 sweeps the country making even small children extremely ill, so have the anti-masker and anti-vaxxer movements. For many, Ali’s statements were too similar to the common talking points that members from either movement have parroted, namely freedom and rights.
The backlash against Ali and her opinions was swift.
Laila Ali saying “DO YOU” during a global pandemic… Ma’am, do you not know how science works??? All these graduates of YouTube Science University. ?
— Luvvie is the #ProfessionalTroublemaker (@Luvvie) August 18, 2021
Every day someone else’s fav reveals that they are not smart, just rich and/or famous. The long ass bridge we built across the CHASM between them gotta be burned because they are embarazing
— Shae Imar (@ShaeImar) August 18, 2021
Some Twitter users decided to use her own statements against her by pointing out that the way that people will “deal with it” is by adding to an already overloaded medical system filled with people who share her sentiments.
What gets me is “if they get it they will deal with it.” Ummm yeah, by going to an overwhelmed hospital where there are no beds and the healthcare workers are traumatized. Infecting MORE people along the way. Smh.
— Dr. CUrsula (@ChristinaLoren6) August 18, 2021
One tweeter highlighted the privilege in Ali’s opinion and how most Black people will not have the option to just deal with getting COVID-19 as she will.
It’s very disappointing to see prominent people Laila Ali to lead other less privileged black people astray with her antivaxxer, anti-mask nonsense. If this woman gets sick and decides to seek healthcare she’ll get the best treatment. The rest of y’all will be sent home to die.
— And The Tweet Goes On (@lacadri34) August 18, 2021
That is based on fact. Since last year, hospitals have been engaging in a care ranking system to decide which COVID-19 patients receive various types of treatment if any. With a new surge, selective care is again on the table, this time with a patient’s vaccination status as a major criterion for even primary care services.
Perhaps the most telling response to Ali’s defense of anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers came from the Muhammad Ali Center. The post showed her late father getting a vaccination and honored those who had either succumbed to or fought COVID-19 in some capacity.
Today is the anniversary of @WHO’s declaration of the #COVID19 pandemic. We honor all of those who have died as a result of the virus, their families & friends, the healthcare and other frontline workers, and the scientists who worked so tirelessly to develop vaccines to help us. pic.twitter.com/d1hAJOSipM
— Muhammad Ali Center (@AliCenter) March 11, 2021
In the United States alone, over 620,000 people have died from COVID-19. The last thing we need is someone standing in defense of people who won’t simply wear a mask.
