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SLOW DOWN, BUDDY

A Billionaire Working Overtime To Repopulate The US, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'

Molly Bradley
Molly Bradley
A Billionaire Working Overtime To Repopulate The US, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'
This week we've also got a pop-psychologist loudly refusing to delete a tweet, a cartoonist with a troubling take on mental illness and a woman who reminded a shooting victim to vote.
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Every day somebody says or does something that earns them the scorn of the internet. Here at Digg, as part of our mission to curate what the internet is talking about right now, we rounded up the main characters on Twitter from this past week and held them accountable for their actions.



This week's characters include a pop-psychologist refusing to delete a tweet to end his Twitter ban, a cartoonist with a troubling take on mental illness, a billionaire working overtime to bring US birth rates up and a woman who helpfully reminded a shooting victim to vote.



Friday

Jordan Peterson

The character: Jordan Peterson, internet pop-psychologist, renowned meat-eater, guy who just can’t quit Twitter

The plot: Controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson was suspended from Twitter last week after violating their hateful conduct policy after misgendering Elliot Page in a transphobic tweet, saying he had his β€œbreasts removed by a criminal physician.” (Peterson had apparently flip flopped on his previous vow to quit the platform after being criticized for calling Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Yumi Nu β€œnot beautiful.”)

The social network said that Peterson could return to the service if he deleted his tweet about Page but Peterson vehemently refused, publishing a 15-minute video, saying he would rather β€œdie” than delete his tweet.

"The suspension will not be lifted unless I delete the hateful tweet in question. And I would rather die than do that," Peterson said.


The repercussion: Netizens poked fun at Peterson’s over-the-top tantrum by remixing his histrionic video, (memorably dubbing the clip as β€œposting his Ls”) and making various jokes at the psychologist’s expense.



James Crugnale



Monday

Scott Adams


The character: Scott Adams, author, cartoonist, YouTuber

The plot: On Monday, the US was rocked by yet another mass shooting, this time at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois. The shooter, 21-year-old Robert Crimo,  killed seven people in the attack and injured many others. Twitter was awash with users’ takes and commentary following the tragedy, and on Wednesday, cartoonist Scott Adams chimed in with a particularly upsetting opinion: that the only options when it comes to violent young men is letting them kill, or killing them. The β€œDilbert” comic strip creator went on to say: β€œI chose #1 and watched my stepson die. I was relieved he took no one else with him.”



It is deeply tragic that Adams lost his stepson, but the view he puts forward is dark, depressing, and untrue. Not only that, but he openly admits to having denied his child the help he clearly needed, and to having contemplated killing him β€” it’s both shocking and incredibly sad. In a second tweet, he rejects the idea that support and government services can prevent shootings and other acts of violence. β€œYou have to either murder your own son or watch him die and maybe kill others,” he writes.



The repercussion: Unsurprisingly, a lot of people have taken issue with Adams’ tweets. Some criticize his baffling view that nothing can be done to prevent shootings besides more killing; there are several very real, meaningful changes that can be made to tackle gun and male violence. Others are shocked and worried by the casual way in which Adams discusses his stepson’s suicide, and to having considered murdering him.



Darcy Jimenez



Tuesday

Ann Brenoff

The character: Ann Brenoff, journalist, voter, voting advocate

The plot: This July 4th holiday saw the usual celebrations, and also some horrifying instances of public shootings β€” over a dozen across US cities, some during Independence Day parades or events.

Lilli Martini β€” who was on Twitter as @h4ndcrushed, but has since deleted her account β€” was at the Highland Park parade when a bullet from an assault rifle hit her in the face. She posted a photo her face to Twitter with the message: β€œi cant fucking believe i was in the middle of a mass shooting. ive felt safe at this parade for 18 years and today i got hit with a bullet and nothing will change in america this is ridiculous.” She told her story to The Daily Beast, which has preserved the caption of her tweet. (Warning: the article includes a graphic photo of Martini involving blood.)

There are a lot of normal ways to respond to a tweet like this, and also a lot of bad ways β€” and not all of the bad responses are necessarily ill-meaning, but they are bad nonetheless. One such response came from a former LA Times and HuffPost journalist, Ann Brenoff, who told Martini she was sorry this happened, and β€œPlease register to vote if you haven’t already. Tell your friends too. Your generation is our last hope.”



The repercussion: Twitter users descended on Brenoff for her tone-deaf response β€” noting that, for one, voting is probably not top-of-mind for a shooting victim. But more importantly, people pointed out that Democrats are currently in significant positions of power and still have done nothing for gun reform. (Note: some responses below contain the image of Martini’s bloodied face.)



Brenoff has since made her Twitter account private.


Molly Bradley



Some Lady Wrapping Plastic Around This Tree

The character: An unidentified woman wrapping plastic sheeting around a tree; someone who really should’ve sprung for a real hammock.

The plot: On Tuesday, a camping β€œhack” involving a woman wrapping a seemingly never-ending pile of non-recyclable plastic sheeting around a group of trees and making, as Backpacker magazine eloquently described, a β€œone time use tent,” went viral, racking up nearly 8 million views.



Josh Trebach flagged the surreal DIY plastic hammock how-to demonstration, and quipped, β€œif your plane crashes on an island and all you have is 10 jumbo rolls of plastic wrap you could find better uses for it than building a plastic-wrapped coffin.” The video also earned the distinction of making it to the very top of r/FacePalm.

The repercussion: The reaction to the woman’s plastic treehouse hack was almost universal scorn, as numerous aghast netizens watched the video in disbelief, describing it as a crime against nature.



James Crugnale



Thursday

Elon Musk

The character: Elon Musk, billionaire, CEO, meme thief

The plot: News broke that Elon Musk reportedly had secret children β€” twins, in fact β€” with long time Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. Court documents revealed this juicy piece of gossip, and you can read the explosive reporting below β€” shout out to Insider for this one.



So what does hopeful Twitter CEO and controversial figure Elon Musk say to these allocations? Just about the most insane thing you can possibly imagine!



The repercussion: Musk's tweets saying he was doing his part to save the world from underpopulation got thoroughly dunked for his odd choice of words.





Jared Russo


β€”β€”β€”

Read the previous edition of our One Main Character column, which included a mayor addressing a lifeguard shortage with a drowning awareness campaign and more.

Did we miss a main character from this week? Please send tips to [email protected].

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