Former Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson proudly announced that she had downgraded herself from first class to business class on a flight to Milan, apparently unable to endure a cabin populated predominantly by white middle-aged men, the Daily Mail reports.
In a lengthy Threads post that has since drawn both fawning admiration from her ideological allies and widespread incredulity elsewhere, Karefa-Johnson described the scene: "In a cabin of six, five of the passengers were white middle-aged men... then there was me, a 30-something black woman who travels in that cabin often, and a male flight attendant who thought I'd be okay with substandard service and persistent micro-aggression from the moment I sat down."
"He was... wrong,' the "hyperwoke" journalist continued. "I don't suffer fools, and I would sacrifice physical comfort to protect my emotional and mental well-being any day."
Unsurprisingly, Karefa-Johnson offered no specifics about the alleged “substandard service” or the nature of the supposed microaggressions that purportedly rendered first-class intolerable.
The post, heavy on grievance and light on detail, quickly garnered praise among those who view everyday encounters through the lens of perpetual racial trauma.
One supporter gushed that she “deserve[s] to be anywhere and everywhere. They belong in economy,” with “they” evidently referring to the white male passengers whose mere presence proved so oppressive.
“Hard agree!” Karefa-Johnson replied. “It's just such a bummer that humiliation is part of gratification for racists. Protecting my peace felt like letting him win and I hate that.”
Karefa-Johnson departed Vogue in 2023 amid controversy over her inflammatory commentary following the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel. In the wake of the terror attacks that killed more than 1,400 Israelis, the journalist accused Israel of “genocide” and likening the Israel Defense Forces to a “terrorist organization,” according to the Daily Mail.
“It's so disappointing to see the utter lack of understanding of the basic tenets and tactics of colonization, and one's willingness to justify and defend those systems which have only ever oppressed,” she posted on Instagram at the time.
“Damn. I hate when Instagram shows me what I hope I never know about the people I follow and their horrifying belief systems,” she added.
