Culture

The Internet Is Mad That Imperial Stormtroopers Were Welcomed at the White House

Though 'Star Wars' characters visited the White House for a good cause, some still have panties in a bunch. 

by Liz Tracy
Michelle Obama's Instagram

Signing off of his final press conference of 2015 yesterday with his signature puckish smile, President Barack Obama told the White House Press Corps, “Ok everybody, I gotta get to Star Wars.”

This was after pointing out about how the Republicans are the only major political party “in the advanced world” that denies climate change. Barack does not mess around — until he does.

The Obamas were screening Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the White House’s private theater for children of Gold Star survivor — these are people who’ve lost someone in their own immediate families in the Iraq War. However, some of the internet got a little pissy that fictional characters, namely the Stormtroopers, were welcomed to the White House in style.

Stormtroopers flanked White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest for a brief photo opportunity as R2-D2 seemed to get caught on the rug on the way in the room.

And thusly, the haters emerged. Here’s one of the comments that showed up in Facebook’s Trending Stories section.

The message was echoed by others who decided to take the Stormtroopers’ presence too seriously while also cropping poor R2 out of the whole scene. Small robots are people too. Well not yet, but they will be soon enough.

The social media folks at People Magazine got somewhat political with this tweet, implying that Obama thinks Star Wars is more important than gun control. That photo says it all, huh?

Not everyone agrees, of course. Also in the Trending Stories section on Facebook was reasonable Manuel Rocha Jr.

The White House is all like:

On a lighter note, if this isn’t the funniest, feel-good photo you’ve seen all day, there’s maybe something wrong with your heart.

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