A TikToker has sparked a debate on social media after sharing the speech they reportedly gave during their father’s funeral, in which they referred to him as a “racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, Trump-loving, cis straight white man”.
Saga, who uses they/them pronouns and goes by the username @saginthesunforever on TikTok, shared a video of the speech they gave during the funeral earlier this month.
In the clip, which was filmed by someone in the audience, Saga could be seen standing at a podium as they condemned their father and his alleged beliefs.
“[You] will never be what you could have been, but only what you are. And what you are is a racist, misogynist, xenophobic, Trump-loving, cis straight white man,” Saga said. “That is all you will ever be to me.”
In the caption of the video, Saga wrote: “Friendly reminder that idgaf [I don’t give a f**k] and WILL say what needs to be said every single time.”
In a follow-up video, Saga, who describes themself as a “Black supremacist” in the bio of their TikTok, then shared a longer clip of their speech. In that clip, they could also be heard telling their father that they will not miss them.
“Dad please know that, while I’m grateful and highly aware of all that you’ve given this family, I still don’t miss you,” Saga said in front of the assembled crowd. “When you died it felt like there was a hole. I missed something but it wasn’t you, but the idea of what you could have become.”
Saga then said that they missed the idea of their father as someone who would be able to see from their perspective, and of someone who might one day help them fight for the “things that mattered”.
“I missed my fantasy of you,” the TikToker continued, as the crowd of mourners remained mostly silent, except for occasional gasps. “Because, when you died, it solidified the fact that you’ll never be what you could have been, but only what you are.”
After accusing their father of being misogynistic, racist and xenophobic, Saga then acknowledged that they couldn’t be criticised for not “respecting the dead” because their father “disrespected and disregarded the lives and deaths of entire communities of people with [his] ideologies”.
“You told me to never back down, so I won’t,” Saga continued. “You are everything I aspire not to be and I refuse to stand up here and sing the praises of a man who was the paradigm of white supremacy. So, I’ll take your racist mindset, I’ll take your money, and I’ll take your advice. And I swear to god I will make this world a better place, not at all because of you, but in exact opposition to you.”
Saga concluded the speech, which elicited gasps from the audience, by thanking those assembled for listening before walking off the stage to loud applause from the crowd.
On TikTok, where the initial video has been viewed more than 1.7m times, Saga’s candid speech has divided viewers. Many have praised the TikToker for the emotional speech and for having the courage to call their father out for his behaviour.
“I’m proud of you,” one person commented, while another said: “So proud of you for speaking your truth.”
Someone else described the video as “free therapy” as they thanked Saga for “being honest and speaking on behalf of so many children struggling to connect with their dad”. “I hope you’re doing well for yourself,” they added.
“This generation is fearless and I am here for it,” another viewer wrote, while one person described the speech as “amazing” and Saga as an “inspiration,” before noting that “death doesn’t erase who a person actually was and automatically grant them respect”.
According to another viewer, the speech was “powerful to witness” and left them “in awe” of Saga. “You will make this world a better place,” they wrote.
While the majority of the comments were positive, some suggested that the timing of the speech was inappropriate. Others claimed that Saga would regret criticising their father during his funeral in the future.
“Oh lord. Hard eye roll. You’ll regret this later,” one person claimed, while another said: “Now’s not the time…regrets further down the line… be better.”
According to someone else, the funeral was not the “time” or “place” for the speech. “I think it’s disrespectful,” another viewer alleged.
As for what happened after they concluded their funeral speech, Saga said in the comments under the video that they thought people were “gonna fight me,” but that their dad’s ex-wife ultimately took the mic and began praising Saga’s deceased father.
The Independent has contacted Saga for comment.
