What are NFTs?
George Floyd NFT – NFTs, which means “Non-fungible token,” refers to unique digital art that can’t be replaced with anything else. Some examples of fungible things include bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which you can easily trade with one another; however, imagine a one-of-a-kind trading card; that is non-fungible. Most NFTs are part of the Ethereum blockchain. Ethereum, a cryptocurrency, like bitcoin supports these NFTs with its blockchain.
Since NFTs started growing in popularity, users and observers have complained about its reoccurring history with racism. NFTs have been riddled with really troublesome imagery. That is also the case with Floydies, an offensive NFT project that displays the image of George Floyd and is launched on the OpenSea platform on December 7.
The background story of George Floyd NFT
The gruesome death of George Floyd at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis brought about a lot of discussion on the repeated issues of police brutality and harassment. The killing of the 46-year-old father spurred widely covered Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. and all over the world In June 2021, although officer Chauvin was later sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for the murder.
The George Floyd NFT, known as “Floydies,” is hosted on OpenSea and is made up of 22 items of crudely drawn pixel art that caricatures George Floyd. Some of the images in the collection gave him bloodshot eyes and, not surprisingly, have sold to date, making their creator or creators $5,000 richer. There are also some more egregious representations of Floyd, like the images of him wearing a police uniform and him standing at the gates of heaven; there’s also a pixel halo hovering over his head. The uniform-wearing Floydie is currently the top bid and is going for $800.
The racist connotation of George Floyd NFT
The project’s creator or creators, when quizzed, said the “Floydies are a unique and progressive way to celebrate the monumental life of George Floyd,” according to them, owning a Floydie is a great way to express yourself and your beliefs!”
However, many people still believe that the George Floyd NFT is in bad taste and depicts him in a very bad and racist manner. Also, the idea isn’t subtle, with the NFTs being launched just a week to Floyd’s murder case being back in the headlines due to Chauvin’s reversal of a not-guilty plea on a charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights. It is thought that the George Floyd NFT was designed to outrage people, and indeed, it has achieved that aim.