It all started with a shout during a NASCAR race. It became an inside joke among many Republicans, and it even made its way onto T-shirts and onto the floor of the House of Representatives. Southwest Airlines has now been embroiled in the nation’s political squabbles as a result of this.
“Let’s go Brandon,” which is widely thought to be code for cursing at President Biden, was stated over the intercom by a Southwest pilot during a flight on Friday, according to a piece on the spread of the phrase written by a writer for The Associated Press. Colleen Long, a reporter who was on the aircraft, said that it resulted in “audible gasps from several passengers.”
As news of the statement circulated on social media, several people expressed their desire to boycott the airline in question. Because of the pilot’s statement, a number of people have shown their support for Southwest. Southwest Airlines issued an apology to passengers on Sunday and said that it will be launching an internal review into the matter.
According to a statement issued to The New York Times by the firm, “Southwest does not condone workers communicating their personal political ideas while on the job.” The airline would not disclose if the pilot had been suspended as a result of his statement, but it did note that it does not comment on the employment status of its employees.
The memorable moment happened at a NASCAR race in Alabama that was televised on NBC in early October, and it has since gone global. The driver Brandon Brown was surrounded by a throng that looked to be cheering him on. An NBC reporter interviewing Mr. Brown stated that the crowd was screaming “Let’s go, Brandon,” but it soon became evident that they were really yelling a four-letter profanity followed by the words “Joe Biden.”
Since then, the term has gained enormous popularity, with lawmakers, entertainers, and the former president’s campaign PAC all use it in a lighthearted manner.
On October 22, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott used the term on Twitter to express his feelings about the state. It was uttered on the House floor by Representative Bill Posey, a Republican from Florida, during a speech in which he criticised the Biden administration.
With the song “Let’s Go Brandon,” the musician Loza Alexander reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list for the week ending Oct. 30, according to the publication.
Others, including many Democrats, on the other hand, do not find the remark amusing. The pilot, according to Twitter users who called for a boycott of Southwest, should be punished by the airline.
In today’s digital era, political viral moments have grown more popular and commonplace. While campaigning for the 2020 election, a Trump campaign press conference staged in the parking lot of a landscaping firm sparked the creation of bumper stickers, memes, a documentary, and even a charitable run.
The “Brandon” slogan, according to Karen North, a professor of digital media at the University of Southern California who formerly worked for President Bill Clinton, “has the pleasure of being an inside joke or meme while also having the capacity of being a rallying cry at the same time.”
Ms. North, on the other hand, believes that these times are becoming more fleeting. “People have something fresh to hop on more rapidly since new fads and memes propagate so much more quickly,” she said.
