New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay drew a whole other round of criticism after claiming that a “racist Twitter mob” criticized her over an on-air math mistake.
Appearing on MSNBC’s “11th Hour” last week, Gay and host Brian Williams engaged in a back-and-forth about how former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg conceivably could have given every American $1 million with the $500 million he spent on his failed presidential campaign.
Both Gay and Williams were predictably raked over the coals. Responding to the backlash, Gay wrote a New York Times op-ed Wednesday, then tweeted it out with the claim that a “racist Twitter mob” came at her for “a trivial math mistake.”
A racist Twitter mob came for me over a trivial math mistake. I’m not going anywhere. https://t.co/McxAT8P7OI
— Mara Gay (@MaraGay) March 11, 2020
“My People Have Been Through Worse Than a Twitter Mob,” the headline read above the subheader: “When you’re a black woman in America with a public voice, a trivial math error can lead to a deluge of hate.”
“Unfortunately, quite a few Americans can tell you what it’s like to be the target of a Twitter mob over a gaffe,” Gay wrote. “My great sin was trivial, harmless, silly. What’s it like when people are trying to cancel you for a math mistake? Weird, and maddening and painful.”
“Of course, in my case it wasn’t really about math, as anyone who read through my mentions on Twitter or saw my inbox would know,” she wrote before listing several examples of racist responses. (RELATED: ‘She Learned Young That Crying Racism Pays’ — Tucker Blasts Omar’s Racism Charge And Her Attempts To Silence Him)
Numerous Twitter users were quick to say their mockery had absolutely nothing to do with race, particularly because Brian Williams, a white male, received his share as well.
A “trivial” math mistake to the tune of $999,998.56 — PER person. But tell me more about “racism” you shameless hack. https://t.co/OSihkonyEZ
— Jon Miller (@MillerStream) March 11, 2020
LOL “Racist Twitter mob”
I literally have no recollection of what you look like, and I would venture to say that if you think that being off by $999,998.48 is a trivial mistake, I can understand why you are a Democrat. https://t.co/SI5QVRhqvB
— Carpe Donktum???? (@CarpeDonktum) March 11, 2020
…what are you implying? https://t.co/v6ifYFLOys
— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) March 11, 2020
Math is racist! https://t.co/jcBRv1fT5I
— Robert Barnes (@Barnes_Law) March 11, 2020
I didn’t know “wrong” was a race https://t.co/cIl9PaMEG2
— Justin Whang ???? (@JustinWhang) March 11, 2020
racist
racist twitter mob
trivial math mistake https://t.co/fv8fWdTGmg
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) March 11, 2020
By “trivial” she means that she was literally *1 million times* off https://t.co/jR7zdxJU9J
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) March 11, 2020
It wasn’t particularly trivial and everyone was dunking just as much on Brian Williams too. https://t.co/thFDA8uW3p
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) March 11, 2020
This is the worst possible way she could have approached this entire fiasco.
PS. You are racist if you read it and if you don’t read it. https://t.co/tVjQIH1urF
— Chicks On The Right (@chicksonright) March 11, 2020
Of course racism is always wrong.
But dismissing your error as a “trivial math mistake” is unreasonable.
It was an enormous error. Literal 5th grade math was required to adequately understand the wild inaccuracy of the campaign finance error that was made. https://t.co/yJMZ2ql5ve
— Brad Polumbo (@brad_polumbo) March 11, 2020
oh Mara. Just stop. The mistake was not trivial, it was ridiculous and if the response was so “racist” then why was Brian Williams also getting slammed mercilessly? Sorry, the race card doesn’t get you out of your epic, self-induced embarrassment. Shame on you for trying. https://t.co/IAj05BcEXo
— Repeal #AB5; No #PROact (@RealKiraDavis) March 11, 2020
Race had nothing to do with it and most people simply mocked it (ftr, it wasn’t a trivial error, it was the difference between $1m and $1.50). They also mocked Brian Williams, who is a white male. https://t.co/fvz5IxpXqe
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 11, 2020