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Wu responded with her own dig at Collins, alluding to rumors he may run for mayor.
“Neither one is sweating Nick Collins as competition for their next gig. See you tomorrow, Senator,” she replied, with a winking emoji.
But Collins’ tweet hit a nerve, especially in the wake of a deadly mass shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead, including six Asian women.
Collins’ suggestion that Wu, who went to Harvard and has lived in the area for more than a decade, was not “from” here prompted a number of people to call him out on social media. Others said the joke was nativist and parochial, and played into the idea that Boston is only welcoming to white people who were born and raised in the city.
Love to see a white man say that an Asian-American woman who's lived and worked as a public servant in Boston for 10+ years isn't actually from here and doesn't belong! I'm sure that doesn't play into nasty stereotypes that have become especially relevant lately! https://t.co/Qvvoptnf26
— Prerna Jagadeesh (@PrernaJagadeesh) March 20, 2021
Nativism is disgusting. Being born and raised in Boston isn’t a choice anyone made, and it doesn’t entitle you to a single thing. These kind of “jokes” are a deliberate and cynical appeal to the worst impulses of bigots. That’s the truth. They make Boston a worse place to live. https://t.co/ev4YPqO7cy
— andrew (@DrewDawg) March 21, 2021
This is not good or fun. I know “it’s just a joke” but Boston’s provincialism is regressive, offensive, unwelcoming, and harms us as a city. 0/10 do not feed into this narrative https://t.co/qXve8EwJrV
— abolish the filibuster (@onekade) March 21, 2021
Collins made the cracks at Wu as part of the runup to annual St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, in which local politicians gather and roast one another for laughs. The event is typically hosted by the state senator representing South Boston, and this year was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Collins’ office told the Globe in a statement that his tweet was meant to be “playful” and in keeping with the spirit of the event.
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“This was playful banter in the spirit of the St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast between two colleagues and friends about Councilor Wu’s skit portraying Senator Collins’ favorite actor Ben Affleck, who is from Cambridge,” the statement said.
Wu’s Affleck parody was a preview of a longer video she created for the event, in which she jokes about life as a parent during the COVID-19 pandemic, campaigning virtually, and running for mayor in a city with a large Irish population.
Danny McDonald and Stephanie Ebbert of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Christina Prignano can be reached at christina.prignano@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @cprignano.
The Link LonkMarch 23, 2021 at 12:38AM
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Backlash after Nick Collins’ St. Patrick’s Day breakfast joke about Michelle Wu - The Boston Globe
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