People tend to use Twitter as sort of a confessional where they post their innermost private thoughts. Now, everyone has the right to speak their mind and express themselves on social media. But sometimes, people can get a bit carried away and go too far. Does freedom of speech mean you can say whatever you want or do you think other people’s feelings should be taken into consideration? Well, take a look at these somewhat controversial tweets and headlines that made some people go “Hmmm.”Milano sent shockwaves across the Twittersphere when she posted a tweet in response to an incident that involved a group of Catholic school students and a Native American man by the name Nathan Phillips. Despite getting a ton of backlash, the actress told USA Today that she still stands behind her words.
On April 28, 2019, sportswriter for SB Nation, Natalie Weiner bragged about yelling at a man for wearing a MAGA hat. But Twitter wasn’t having any of it and let Weiner know where they stand. The majority of commenters, (both Democrats and Republicans) felt that Weiner had gone too far and was being pretty intolerant of other people’s opinions. Her tweet received a whopping 13,000 replies, which is a lot considering she only got 250 retweets.
Sometimes, words can land you in hot water, even if you’re trying to be politically correct. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton used the term “Easter worshipers” when referring to the victims and everyone who was affected by the Sri Lanka attacks. But conservatives jumped out of their seats to remind them that they would like to be called “Christians,” as the attacks were specifically targeting churches.
Leaving all political inclinations aside, what exactly are “Easter worshippers, really? And how do you actually “worship” Easter? National Review writer tweeted, “We’re actually called Christians, not ‘Easter worshippers’ wouldn’t hurt to maybe just say that,” after realizing the term was catching on. Other Twitter users reminded everyone where their faith lied. Laura Ingraham posted a message saying that Christians worship Jesus and not Easter.
The Washington Post headline read: “Analysis: Sri Lanka Church bombings stoke far-right anger in the West.” 290 people were killed! What are you trying to say?
Some Trump supporters feel they can’t express their political inclinations freely. No matter which side of the fence you stand on, anyone should be able to express themselves freely as long as everyone’s being respectful about other people’s beliefs.
A few Twitter users reported they were being harassed over wearing their MAGA hats at bars. According to The Epoch Times, a bartender allegedly told a Trump supporter who was wearing a MAGA hat to take a hike and leave a bar in NYC.
It doesn’t matter what others believe in, one should be able to uphold and defend their political inclinations. People come from different backgrounds and have different opinions. We must encourage dialogue and debate, never violence and assault.