Someone’s Selling Shockingly Racist NFTs of George Floyd

In the world of blockchain, there’s no shortage of dumb ideas, incredible idiots, and bad actors — but one new creator might have just outdone them all.  

An NFT project selling different illustrations of George Floyd — the unarmed Black man whose brazen murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 launched a series of social uprisings — was released on the OpenSea platform on December 7, Input reports. The project appears to have no connection to Floyd’s family or the activist community.

Yes, you read that right. Yes, it is that awful. 

Dubbed “Floydies,” the project seems to be equal parts tasteless trolling and shameless cash-in attempt that echoes the trend of packaged NFT a la the “Bored Apes“ or the “Lazy Lions.” Each image contains a poorly drawn depiction of Floyd with bloodshot eyes and dressed in different, sometimes-mocking outfits. 

The NFT’s OpenSea profile claims that the project exists as a celebration of Floyd’s life and that purchasing one of their NFTs is “a great way to express yourself and your beliefs!” 

However, it should go without saying that this is a pretty clear attempt at trolling. Even a cursory glance at the images themselves indicate that it’s merely an attempt to offend as many people as possible by depicting Floyd’s image as tastelessly as possible. 

That said, it does appear to be making some amount of money, with one image having been sold to a Twitter user known as “cantsneed” for more than $400 worth of ethereum. However, a quick look at that profile indicates that they’re very likely also a part of the project and a troll account themselves. 

Luckily, many people are seeing the project for what it is, and widely condemning it on social media. 

“Most of the crypto space, and NFT by consequence, is an absolute garbage fire right now,” Marcello Lins, a software engineer at Square who spoke out against the trolls on Twitter, told Input. 

“In an age where smart contracts exist, part of the proceeds from these sales could be going to Black Lives Matter non-profits or the family of the victim. Neither is present here, unsurprisingly,” he added. “This project was never meant to help anyone but its own creators, despite it claiming to be just the opposite.”

Anyone upset by all this, needless to say, can do their part by reporting the project’s Twitter account and OpenSeas account — and, if they’re so inclined, donate to the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to racial equity and justice. 

READ MORE: The latest horrible NFT project co-opts George Floyd’s image [Input]

More on NFT awfulness: Crypto Bro Claims They’re Losing Their Wife and Kids Because They Bought a Super-Expensive NFT

Care about supporting clean energy adoption? Find out how much money (and planet!) you could save by switching to solar power at UnderstandSolar.com. By signing up through this link, Futurism.com may receive a small commission.

Go to Source