The media coverage of missing white traveler Gabby Pepito led many, including Joy Reid, to draw comparisons between the search and the lack of resources put into searching for missing people of color.
Conservative Candace Owens took to social media to share that she doesn’t believe it’s a thing.
Not that we expected her to say anything different.
“Yesterday I learned about missing white person syndrome,” tweeted Owens. “Can someone let me know what syndrome it is that causes us to ignore every white person that is killed by a police officer, but demands that we burn cities across the world to the ground for thugs like George Floyd?”
After receiving backlash for her tweet, she wrote: “So basically, it’s very important that black people shut up and say nothing when crimes are committed against black victims, but also very important that we get angry and ask why white victims get so much attention when crimes are committed against them.”
Journalist Andreas Hale then challenged Owens’ remarks: “When will you learn about the Race Traitor syndrome you suffer from where you go out of your way to get attention by being overly critical about your own race because nobody would care about you otherwise?” he responded.
The podcaster replied, “White people discussing white people who have committed crimes against other white people is “missing white person syndrome.” But black people discussing black people who have committed many crimes against other black people (see: George Floyd) are race traitors,” she continued, adding several clown face emojis.
Owens’ remarks were in response to Reid saying:
“It goes without saying that no family should ever have to endure that kind of pain. And the Petito family certainly deserves answers and justice,” Reid said. “But the way this story has captivated the nation has many wondering, why not the same media attention when people of color go missing?”
But it was the following remarks which set her right-wing critics off:
“Well, the answer actually has a name: Missing White woman syndrome. The term coined by the late and great Gwen Iffil to describe the media and public fascination with missing White women like Laci Peterson or Natalee Holloway while ignoring cases involving missing people of color,” she added, referencing two well-known cases of missing women.”
