On Wednesday, Chargé d'Affaires of the United States' Mission to Afghanistan Karen Decker posted a tweet suggesting that a little #BlackGirlMagic could help the millions struggling under Taliban rule.
The tweet, which is the latest in a string of bizarre attempts by Becker to inject aspects of Black History Month into her Afghan-centred content, was widely criticized.
"Are Afghans familiar with #BlackGirlMagic and the movement it inspired?" Decker asked. "Do Afghan girls need a similar movement? What about Afghan women?"
"Teach me, ready to learn," Decker added, tagging Beyonce, Lizzo, and Regina King.
The tweet caught many off guard, with Decker's suggestion that the aforementioned figures could somehow assist the millions of Afghan women and girls struggling as second-class citizens under Taliban rule.
https://twitter.com/libbyemmons/status/1625972718905557000
"I think there has never been a more tone-deaf tweet," The Post Millennial's Libby Emmons said.
https://twitter.com/BillyGribbin/status/1625966169365643274
"This is so cringe we’re going to have to apologize to the Taliban," one user suggested.
https://twitter.com/mridenhour/status/1625967246932672519
"Oh, *that's* what we should have done for the last 20 years! Less military, more Lizzo!" another user quipped.
https://twitter.com/AbdulRahimIsrar/status/1625947618999246848
"I am speechless. This is ridiculous," said activist Abdul Rahim Israr.
https://twitter.com/RepDanBishop/status/1625991150824726533?s=20
"This is unfortunately not a parody account," wrote Rep. Dan Bishop.
https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1625951452286881817?s=20
"Beyond parody. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad," Christina Pushaw wrote.
Many others stated that a US government official should not be tweeting such things, with some calling on Decker to resign.
https://twitter.com/USAmbKabul/status/1625098025017266182
This is not the first tweet Decker has caught flak over. On Superbowl Sunday, she pointed out that it was the first time both quarterbacks "happen to be Black," before asking Afghans to reply with the most exciting sports match they can remember.
https://twitter.com/USAmbKabul/status/1624787201136504834
Before that, Decker commemorated Abraham Lincoln's birthday by boiling down his legacy to "he did some stuff." She went on to celebrate the NAACP and their uplifting of black voices, tying it all back to Afghans struggling to be heard.