The Week on TwitterTopical

The Week on Twitter | Leader’s Debate, No Direction, & Antonin Scalia

By Jade Hayden

This week, Twitter watched the leader’s debate, criticised Labour’s photoshop skills, laughed as Micháel Martin dropped a piece of paper, and watched Gerry Adams get a haircut live on Periscope. We also saw Stephen Fry delete his Twitter account,and wondered who President Obama was going to appoint as the new Justice of the Supreme Court after Antonin Scalia passed away.

US Justice of Supreme Court #AntoninScalia found dead

Last Sunday, Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia was found dead at his ranch in Texas. The 79 year old had been justice of the court for 30 years prior to his death, where he had received constant criticism (from just about everybody who isn’t painfully right wing) for his extremely conservative views.

Following the news of Scalia’s death, it was reported that President Obama was to appoint his replacement. Lots of Republicans weren’t happy about this because Obama is more likely to choose somebody who is not a bigot. Lots of other people were very happy about this because Obama is more likely to choose somebody who is not a bigot.

Eventually, it was revealed that Scalia had been found dead with a pillow on his face, or close to his head, or something. Naturally, the US’s finest conspiracy theorists took this opportunity to run with the claim that Obama, the lizard man, had had Scalia murdered because he was racist against Italians (?), and that this was all part of his elaborate plan to usher in the New World Order, probably.

Some time afterwards, the owner of Scalia’s ranch, John Poindexter, confirmed that the pillow had not been found over Scalia’s face, but behind his head near the headboard.

https://twitter.com/leyawn/status/699654331474321408%20

But not even the confirmation that Scalia’s death was due to natural causes could stop right wingers from blaming Obama for just about everything. After it was revealed that the US president would not be attending the former justice’s funeral this weekend, the Republicans took it upon themselves to deem him classless, an embarrassment, and not worthy of the position he held.

https://twitter.com/dbongino/status/700375153771937792

#StephenFry quits Twitter after ‘bag lady’ comment backlash #BAFTAS

Earlier this week, Twitter connoisseur Stephen Fry deleted his account following excessive amounts of tweets condemning a joke he made at the BAFTAs. Fry’s decision came after myriads of users took to the site to call him a misogynist after he stated that Jenny Beaven – costume designer and close friend of Fry’s – looked like a bag lady.

https://twitter.com/bethneil/status/698987986432749568%20

Fry was also criticised for a joke about The Danish Girl, where he referred to Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of trans woman Einar Wegener as “a woman trapped inside a man’s body.” Fry defended himself for a bit before deleting his account, and declaring that Twitter had become “frothy with scum, clogged with weeds and littered with broken glass, sharp rocks and slimy rubbish. If you don’t watch yourself, with every move you’ll end up being gashed, broken, bruised or contused.”

Many praised Fry’s decision, starting that they too had become victims of the sordid permanently offended brigade; a group who is now apparently represented by everyone who had a bit of a meltdown when Fry made a joke about his good friend, and not by those who call actual bullshit people out on their actual bullshit.

Plenty of others deemed the whole debacle political correctness gone mad, as people are wont to do nowadays.

Fry has yet to state whether or not he will make a return to Twitter. He probably will, maybe.

#GE16 heats up with the second #leadersdebate and that Labour advert

This week, the leader’s debate was on telly. Lots of different things happened at the debate. Some of them were irritating. Most of them were funny. All of them were tweeted about.

Those things were Enda Kenny’s bold decision to enter the studio with his jacket slung over his shoulder, Claire Byrne being the Queen of the debate, Richard Boyd Barrett being the only leader to mention the eighth amendment, Fine Gael and Labour spouting on about the ‘recovery,’ Micháel Martin being low key schooled by Enda for dropping a piece of paper, Joan Burton ensuring that Labour loses any remaining support they have, and Lucinda Creighton ensuring that Renua doesn’t… Because they had none to begin with.

A couple of days later, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams took us all on a live streamed journey of his campaign trail. It included him going for a shave and a quick trim. It was good.

But the excitement didn’t stop with Adams’ impromptu trim. On Thursday morning, Labour’s ‘No Direction’ advert appeared in the paper and everybody lost it. Partially because of the weak photoshop job and general ridiculousness of the concept, but also because of the frankly embarrassing exchanges between parties on Twitter afterwards.

It was tragic.

https://twitter.com/RayMcGrath/status/700253818102116352%20

Featured image source.

Jade Hayden 144 posts 0 comments

Jade Hayden has an MA in journalism, a degree in English, and a house rabbit who sleeps in her bed sometimes. You'll often find her wearing glasses, fixing her fringe, and complaining about the amount of time she spends on public transport. Jade is also the editor of HeadStuff's topical section, and she'd love if you sent your submissions over to [email protected].

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