What do you do when somebody makes headlines for trying to send an angry mob to the wrong address? You try to send an angry mob to the correct address. But only if you’re as smart as Roseanne.
The comedian Roseanne Barr last night tweeted the home address of George Zimmerman’s parents to her 110,000-plus Twitter followers, only to delete the posting after “not fully understanding that it was private not public.”
Barr’s posting of the correct Florida address of Robert and Gladys Zimmerman came at the same time Spike Lee was issuing an apology for erroneously disseminating a tweet that purportedly contained the home address of George Zimmerman, who last month killed teenager Trayvon Martin.
The residence cited by Lee is actually the home of an elderly couple with no connection to Zimmerman.
Barr, who deleted her tweet in the face of criticism from some Twitter followers, noted that she first thought it “was good to let ppl know that no one can hide anymore.” That stance quickly changed, with Barr reporting, “But vigilante-ism is what killed Trayvon. I don’t support that.”
You just did, you idiot.
And “I deleted it” is no defense. Once you put somebody’s personal information on Twitter, you can’t undo it. It’s done. The worms are out of the can. It’s amazingly stupid and irresponsible. What if somebody now goes to that address and does something to those people? Why would you open yourself up to liability for that? Especially knowing the mess Spike Lee just caused?
Oh, I forgot. It’s Roseanne. The next President of the United States.
For Spike’s part, the diminutive demagogue seems to realize his error. Not necessarily that it’s wrong to take justice into your own hands, but that you look like a complete jackass when you drive a very nice older couple from their home. LA Times:
Spike Lee has reached an agreement with the Florida couple forced to flee their home after the film director retweeted their home address and they fled to a hotel to avoid problems associated with the shooting of Trayvon Martin, it was announced Thursday…
“The McClains’ claim is fully resolved,” Matt Morgan, their attorney, said in an email. “Mr. Lee personally called them to give a very heartfelt apology. Further, he agreed to compensate them for their loss and the disruption to their lives.
“The McClains were very moved by Mr. Lee’s apology,” Morgan said. “They would like the Lee family to be left in peace,” Morgan said.
An apology, followed by a statement of forgiveness. And, presumably, a hefty chunk of change. Well, it’s something. Spike is just lucky they’re decent, good-hearted people. And that he didn’t call them “sluts.”
Believe it or not, the Reliable Source at WaPo actually asks a very good question:
But what if it had been the correct address for Zimmerman — what action did Lee hope his quarter-million followers would take? At his office’s direction, we faxed Lee the question; we’ll update if he responds.
Good luck with that.
So, who will be the next celebrity idiot to put somebody in harm’s way? I’d bet on Alec Baldwin. It’s been a while since he’s made an ass of himself. Well. This much of an ass.
P.S. You know you’ve messed up when you’re a hardcore liberal and even Jon Stewart is ripping on you.
P.P.S. Guess who doesn’t want to talk about Trayvon anymore?
P.P.P.S. Another request, from me to you.