If you’ve been using Facebook for the past year or so, chances are that you may have come across a hilarious meme, quote, or pictures from a certain “George Takei.” You may be asking yourself, “Wait, George Takei as in that Star Trek Sulu George Takei? He can’t possibly be this witty, funny, and social media relevant!”
The answer is a most resounding yes, that is indeed the one and only George Takei.
Aside from posting funny posts that have brighten up my days in numerous occasions like this:
Or this:
George Takei is an incredibly outspoken activist who is not afraid to speak out on injustices conducted against the LGBT community, the Asian American community, and anything that just screams flat out bigotry and ignorance. Except George does it with grace, style, and most importantly, his unique sense of humor. It is this humor that is getting him attention and according to this wonderful interview with Bloomberg Business Week: “(After launching his Facebook page last October), Takei has gained more than a million followers and his short, visual, fan-generated posts—which range from dogs dressed as Yoda to jabs at Rick Santorum—have rapidly spread to the news feeds of many millions more Facebook users.”
There is much I can learn from George as his followers come from all walks of life and he somehow gets them all together with laughter. Too often I tend to polarize folks because I come off too aggressive or blunt but George is able to straddle the fine line and still find a way to educate without condescending or preaching. Why this man isn’t hosting SNL or getting even more national attention is beyond me but suffice to say, I consider it a remarkable achievement that George is finding new-found popularity at his most distinguished age. My first exposure to the social media saavy George Takei started with him calling out former Arkansas School Board Member Clint McCance last year:
Oh, George…why are you so awesome? On that closing note, I want to leave it up to you guys: what do you love about George Takei? Speak out! After all, it’s okay to be Takei 🙂
