Anne Frank. Rosa Parks. Albert Einstein. Maya Angelou. Audre Lorde.
What do these famous figures have in common? For one thing, they were all brilliant critics of oppressive political systems, celebrated for standing up for human rights even in the darkest times. But as of this week, they all share something else: They are all featured on IvankaTrump.com’s #WiseWords, an Instagram-ready collection of inspirational quotes.
It’s a curious choice to use these deceased cultural icons, who would likely be among the Trump administration’s most eloquent critics, as a means of promoting the Ivanka Trump brand. The timing’s head-scratching, too: One week after the Holocaust Memorial Day statement that infamously neglected to mention Jews, IvankaTrump.com selects one of the only fluffy lines Anne Frank ever wrote: “Whoever is happy will make others happy too.”
Spoof #WiseWords memes are beginning to circulate. Here’s one, by writer Ajay Singh Chaudhary on the Instagram account @dear_ivanka, which aims to catch the eye and heart of the first daughter. Chaudhary’s parody post features the chilling words of anti-Semitic German philosopher Martin Heidegger: “The Fuhrer alone is the present and future German reality and its law. Learn to know ever more deeply: from now on every single thing demands decision, and every action responsibility.”
Pretty #clever, no?
