The Week on TwitterTopical

The Week on Twitter: Ferguson, Wendy Williams, & Denis O’Brien (Again)

By Jade Hayden

This week, everyone had another go at Denis O’Brien, peaceful protests in Ferguson marking the death of Michael Brown were met with more police brutality, and Twitter called for the cancellation of The Wendy Williams’ Show.

Peaceful protests in #Ferguson challenged by more violence #BlackLivesMatter #ICantBreathe

August 9th marked the one year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death at the hand’s of St. Louis police officer, Darren Wilson. Brown – an unarmed, 18 year old black man – was shot several times, and killed instantly, for approaching a state trooper vehicle. The year that followed saw a series of protests spread across America, emphasising the importance of black lives, calling for an end to police brutality against black people, and remembering those who had already been lost.

Early this week, another man was shot, several were injured, and many more were arrested, when thousands gathered in Ferguson to peacefully protest the city’s police force. It wasn’t long before the county’s government placed Ferguson in a state of emergency – meaning that the police were to take full control of the city’s security (and supervise the violence that they had been directly involved in causing).

Naturally, Twitter, Facebook, and the general world weren’t all that pleased with St. Louis’ government, as officials once again tried to blame Ferguson’s black population for the numerous racial attacks against Ferguson’s black population. (I know.)

https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/631155948229369857

Following the police’s reaction to Ferguson’s peaceful demonstrations, a ‘die-in’ was staged in Times Square, to remember #EricGarner, #MikeBrown, #SandraBland, and every other black life that had fallen victim to police brutality.

Girl ‘protecting’ Ferguson’s police force becomes a meme #Lexi19

It became apparent that not everyone in Ferguson was interested in protecting black lives, when 19 year old Fall Out Boy fan, Lexi, stood in front of a group of police officers, and offered her protection. After she stated “I would rather get hit by something than let it hit them,” it wasn’t long before Lexi’s heroic, selfless, and noble act went viral, was made fun of by a lot of people, and eventually became a meme.

Understandably, brave Lexi has spoken out about the event in an interview with Vice. (Isn’t that what most people do once they achieve meme-status?) I haven’t read the article. You shouldn’t either. The memes tell a more sincere – a more authentic – story.

Twitter takes the piss out of Denis O’Brien with #DOBsongs hashtag

Last week, Denis O’Brien sued everybody. This week, he dropped an album.

After the billionaire’s threat of legal action against, well, just about everybody, the internet decided it was a bit sick of his antics, and chose to focus on his solo career instead. The result was a myriad of tweets that were moderately funny, and yet, wildly accurate.

Ariana Grande fans argue to #CancelWendyWilliamsShow

Wendy Williams is a woman. She has a talk show. Ariana Grande is a singer. She has lots of fans. Last night, Twitter went a bit mad when Williams made some comments about Grande’s appearance. After that, #CancelWendyWilliamsShow was the world’s top trending topic. In fact, as I type this, it still is. It might not be by the time you read this. But at the time, it was. And that is important.

In a segment called #HotTopics, Williams discussed Ariana Grande’s split from her boyfriend, and stated that “… She’s 21. She’ll forever look 12. I don’t mean that in a good way.” While that comment may not seem like a justification for such apparently national outrage, one can only presume (and hope) it was Williams’ later remark that she doesn’t see Grande “…as, like, a woman,” that caused so much offense.

Not only did the tag permit Ariana Grande’s fan to express their anger, but it also allowed others to reference some additional times when Williams wasn’t exactly the greatest human being in the world.

https://twitter.com/DerrickClifton/status/632032259474894848

Twitter celebrates #LeftHandersDay!

Feast your eyes on a collection of tweets about being left handed, and also about celebrating being left handed. As a person who is left handed (and therefore viciously victimised everyday), it was comforting to see that the struggle was not only real, but also shared by thousands of others around the world.

Thanks Kermit. Represent.

 

Featured image via David Carson

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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