Rupert Murdoch says, 'All Egyptians are white', Twitter gives him a hard time

FP Staff • December 1, 2014, 15:09:19 IST

As the backlash refused to die down, Murdoch played the pacifist to calm angry Tweeters. But it was too little, too late.

Rupert Murdoch says, 'All Egyptians are white', Twitter gives him a hard time

If he keeps stirring controversies this way, the assumption that Rupert Murdoch was born with a ladle in his hands isn’t unbelievable. The latest from the 83-year-old business magnet: All Egyptians I know are white.

The media magnet chose to defend the white cast of his upcoming film Exodus on Twitter. The film has been criticised for “the lack of ethnic diversity,” the Independent reported. “Christian Bale plays Moses in the film, which opens on 26 December in the UK, with Joel Edgerton as Rhamses and Sigourney Weaver as Queen Tuya,” the paper reported.

Murdoch, who owns News Corp and 21st Century Fox, took to Twitter to defend the casting. “Moses film attacked on Twitter for all white cast. Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are,” he tweeted.

Moses film attacked on Twitter for all white cast. Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) November 29, 2014

Murdoch realised the need for context much later. And then, he tweeted this:

Everybody-attacks last tweet. Of course Egyptians are Middle Eastern, but far from black. They treated blacks as slaves.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) November 29, 2014

But as the backlash refused to die down, Murdoch played the pacifist to calm angry Tweeters. But it was too little, too late.

Okay, there are many shades of color. Nothing racist about that, so calm down!
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) November 29, 2014

But if it’s social media, you know you can’t calm them down. So Murdoch demanded that the subject be changed.

Change the subject. What chance more decent jobs as Europe, Japan, Russia, India, China all start to head south? Dangerous time.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) November 29, 2014

From disbelief to outrage, here’s how Twitter taught the media mogul some history:

@rupertmurdoch Which of your family members commandeered your mobile and tweeting on your Twitter handle?
— ✨ Cindy Chin (@cindylchin) November 29, 2014

@SidizenKane @rupertmurdoch He's old, he's probably thinking of the incestuous Greek royal lineage.
— Danny Bowes (@bybowes) November 29, 2014

@rupertmurdoch yeah but they weren't white as such were they. Just like Jesus wouldn't have been 'white'.
— Oliver Newman (@oliverjnewman) November 29, 2014