Tonight, on a Very Special Episode of Behind The Tweet, we look into one of *my* tweets.
I’m sure everyone’s heard about the Sean Spicer Incident of 4/11/2017, the one where the press secretary mistakenly tried to compare Syrian dictator Assad to Hitler. I listened to snippets of it, and it’s very clear to me what he was *trying* to say, it’s just that he got tongue-tied, because he was aware that he had suddenly stumbled onto dangerous ground, and his attempts to extricate himself came out really badly. (Seriously, who *wouldn’t* be alarmed if they accidentally started talking about Hitler?) He apologized and corrected his remarks immediately after the press conference, from what I understand.
Of course, the left saw an opportunity and pounced, because in the modern political world, the best way to win a debate is to get your opponent fired. Wait. I’m getting sarcastic already. Let’s reign it in.
I completely agree that Spicer’s remarks were awkward, inappropriate, and factually incorrect.
That’s the end of what I’ll agree with.
I’m not Jewish, nor do I know anyone who is Jewish (at least nobody who has admitted it–but it’s not like people walk up to you and say, “Hi! I’m Jewish! How are you?”), but I certainly didn’t think his remarks were *offensive.*
Before we go any farther, let’s make sure we don’t forget that Syrian dictator Assad is a monster who is directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of quite a few people in Syria (I don’t know the exact figures and don’t even want to speculate, but I’m sure you can find out if you want). That should not be forgotten.
Over the course of Tuesday afternoon, I saw more and more people on Twitter responding to the Spicer remarks. I have three different Twitter accounts which I use to follow news and politics, authors, and gamers, respectively. Authors and gamers I follow tend to have a leftward political leaning, to put it mildly. Actually the majority of people I follow across all my accounts tend to lean leftward. I think the general population on the Internet trends toward the left (but that’s changing). I’ve had to work to find opposing viewpoints on Twitter.
My politics is closer to the center. Socially I go a bit center-left, and with fiscal stuff and foreign policy I go a bit center-right. So you can probably guess where this is going.
The authors and literary agents I follow tend to be in genre fiction, and to say that they are far left liberals is an understatement. I wasn’t aware of just how far left they were until the election, when they immediately started spreading information about setting up Tor and encrypted communications channels because they were apparently afraid they would all be immediately hunted down and killed. (I am not joking about the Tor thing, but I am speculating about them thinking they’d be hunted down.) I chalked it up to authors having vivid imaginations, and still do. Dystopian futures are big in genre fiction, after all. I don’t even blame them for wanting to have encrypted communications channels–I have enough Libertarian in me to believe it’s a great idea to be able to communicate without the government being able to eavesdrop. (I believe it was a gross overreaction to the real facts of the election, though, and a great example of mass hysteria in action, a phenomenon I have trouble grasping unless I see it.)
I saw more and more tweets coming in responding to the Spicer remarks. A lot of people were upset about his comments. I considered most of those tweets to be the “fake outrage” that we associate with modern political opposition. (Some people no doubt are genuinely outraged by events, but it’s easy to lose sight of them amid the torrents of fake/propaganda outrage.) Many tweets were memes, meant to be funny. All the “hold my beer” tweets, etc. I don’t mind those.
But then, toward late afternoon, I saw a tweet from a literary agent I follow who had come to the conclusion that because of Spicer’s remarks, he had revealed himself to be a Holocaust Denier. This was not a “meme” tweet making a joke. This was a dead serious tweet.
That was the last straw. That’s too far.
I’m a believer in defending the rights of people, even politicians, to make mistakes. By which I mean that I don’t believe someone should be crucified, so to speak, just for making a mistake. Somewhere around 2006 I saw the term “gotcha politics,” which was what it was called to end someone’s political career after catching them saying something inappropriate on tape. (I first witnessed this with George Allen’s famous “macaca” incident here in Virginia.) Basically it’s a shortcut way to win a political argument without having to use facts and logic. It’s abhorrant. It has no place in intelligent discourse. But we live in a media-obsessed society that caters to the lowest-common denominator, and political consultants will do anything to win. The press is also fond of gotcha politics now, particularly since the election. I’m very cynical about the press and politics, by the way.
The point is: Spicer made a mistake, he apologized. That’s what humans are supposed to do. He acknowledged his mistake and tried to atone. He followed all the social contract rules. But it’s not enough, apparently. He. Must. Be. Fired.
But here’s what I just don’t understand. The far left is so consumed with their need to “win” a battle against Trump that they haven’t thought through the long-term implications of replacing Spicer. I’m not a huge fan of Trump. He makes me nervous. The last thing we as a country need right now is a smooth-talking, convincing press secretary. Usually, press secretaries charm the pants off of the White House press corp and print whatever the president wants. This is the first time I can remember seeing a press corp that actually challenges the press secretary, and that’s a great thing. *Especially* with President Trump, the great question mark, in the White House. Why would anyone want to change that?
Now, finally, I want to get to the biting tweet that I wrote yesterday evening with all of those thoughts swirling in my mind. That agent’s tweet about the Holocaust Denial pushed me to the point where I felt compelled to put my 2 cents into the debate. I usually tweet on my @endgameviable account, because it happens to be where I have the most followers, and where I “fit in” the most. Except when it comes to politics. I try not to say too much about politics there, because frankly most of my followers are liberals who probably don’t want to see anything outside their bubble. I put most of my centrist political quips on my real name Twitter feed. But in this case I thought that was the audience that needed to hear some pushback. Groupthink drives me crazy. Political satire is important for society to hear, especially when it goes against conventional wisdom. I want everyone to think about every issue carefully, weigh all the facts from every side, and come to their own conclusion. I know it’s not always possible to do that, but that’s the ideal every citizen of democracy should strive toward.
Here’s what I wrote:
I thought about that wording for a long time. I started out with something much harsher. I kept softening it and softening it. I wanted it to be funny, esoteric, satiric, and biting. The best comedy makes people uncomfortable and makes them think. (I’m a big fan of George Carlin.) I wanted people to stop and think about it, and try to figure out what it meant.
I got zero reaction so I assume nobody did that. :) It probably just came across as, “What the heck is that? Is he actually *defending* a Holocaust Denier??”
No, I’m not defending a Holocaust Denier. I would never do that. (Except that I think people should be free to practice whatever idiocy they want as long as it doesn’t hurt me.) Spicer is not a Holocaust Denier so it’s a moot point.
No, I’m not making fun of Christianity. I grew up Episcopalian, and for most of my life I’ve been involved in church music. (That’s mostly behind me now.) So I know all about Maundy Thursday and the Passion and that dramatic moment when Pilate asks what should they do with Jesus, and the crowd shouts, “Crucify him!” Maundy Thursday is one of the most powerful Episocopal services of the year, if you’ve never been.
It just struck me that, since it’s Holy Week, the left’s insistence that Spicer be fired is a very similar situation to the crowds shouting “Crucify him!” on Maundy Thursday, that’s all.
No, I’m not comparing Sean Spicer to Jesus, the Son of God. The only similarity is that they were both on trial in the court of public opinion.
No, I’m not making any kind of comment on Jews, Jewish Faith, the Holocaust, or anything of that nature. I’m aware that it could be perceived as anti-Semitic to make a disparaging remark about the crowds who called for Jesus’ crucifiction. Frankly that’s the only reason I’m explaining my tweet here. , But obviously that’s not my intent. I happen to be in the camp of people who think that the left has become far, far too sensitive about “political correctness.” To the point that I have to write this disclaimer when it shouldn’t be necessary.
The only thing I was trying to say with my tweet was: Nobody wants to live in a world where saying one dumb thing can ruin your career or your life. He who is without sin etc. etc.
