Right-wing influencer Graham Allen has sparked debate after posting a photo he claims shows shoppers at a local Costco in Texas. Shared on Facebook, the picture shows a large group of people in Middle Eastern clothing doing their shopping, but Allen strongly believes this isn’t good at all. “This is how we lose a country…” he wrote, implying that this many Muslim folks in the US would negatively affect the country.
Tens of thousands on Facebook had mixed reactions to Allen’s post, with a host of comments accusing the Trump-supporting public figure of posting an AI-generated photo. On the other hand, plenty of others claimed they saw nothing wrong with the picture since it wasn’t showing anything controversial or graphic besides ‘average people shopping.’
The Photo of Texas Muslim Shoppers Was Accused of Being AI
One highly upvoted commenter pointed out how the carts in the photo weren’t from Costco, despite Allen claiming that’s where the photo was taken. Multiple people reported receiving a Facebook notification that the photo was AI-generated before they opened it. Dozens upon dozens of others pointed out evidence of AI, such as the shoppers looking in one direction or a man having six fingers.
On the other hand, several people were firmly convinced that the photo of the Muslim shoppers in Texas was real. “When I went to IKEA in Dallas it looked pretty close to the picture also,” remarked a user. “[It] might be A.I. but its also Cosco Abu Dhabi. Look it up,” wrote another.
People on r/stupidpeoplefacebook reacting to the same photo claimed that the post was nothing more than “racist propaganda,” regardless of whether it’s real. “[It is] designed to generate fear,” pointed out a Redditor. “We lose a country by becoming bigots filled with fear and hate,” agreed a second.
Graham Allen isn’t the only right-wing influencer accused of being racist over a post of Muslim shoppers. Facebook creator Kaylee Campbell had also suffered massive backlash over her post of a Texas woman shopping in a hijab. Both Campbell and Allen, along with others in the MAGA community, believe that immigrants or those who are open about their Muslim culture pose a threat to American society.
Photos of random shoppers in their cultural garb are just one of multiple ways awareness and concern are being fueled online, sparking heated debate from both political sides.
