sigh
A Right-Wing Commentator Furious That Some Women Don't Want Children, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'
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.
Each day on twitter there is one main character. The goal is to never be it
— maple cocaine (@maplecocaine) January 3, 2019
This week's Main Characters include someone oversharing about their relationship, a gamer who still can't get over the whole pronoun thing and a conservative commentator still firmly stuck in the stone age.
Thursday
Melissa Erickson
The character: Melissa Erickson, mom, person who thinks writing in cursive matters
The plot: On Thursday, Twitter (sorry, X) user Melissa Erickson aired her frustrations at the fact that her 20-something-year-old sons don’t know how to mail a letter, write a check, send a package or write in cursive. Yikes.
Talking with my sons in their 20s. I just found out they don’t know how to:
— Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA (@drericksonspine) August 31, 2023
- mail a letter
- write a check
- send a package
- write in cursive
“Nobody in our generation does that stuff”
Y’all, this is wild.
Just me?
The repercussion: Ignoring the fact that writing in cursive is largely unimportant, most people were confused by Erickson complaining about her sons being unable to do things that, as one of their parents, it was kind of on her to teach them.
X users also joked about other old-fashioned things that their imaginary sons in their 20s don’t know how to do.
"I never taught them to mail a letter, write a check, send a package, or make sure they learned cursive in school"
— Grizz (@GrizzJohnson) August 31, 2023
It's not like their failure was entirely on them, Doc.
but you...you were supposed to teach them that https://t.co/YvOmgZBtbI
— the hot dam historian (@varsha_venkat_) September 1, 2023
Mind you you’re their mom https://t.co/WpXSxzmgzj
— LB (@lnbshr) September 1, 2023
I didn't teach my children how to do anything and now they are adult children. How could this be happening to me? https://t.co/ZcUWcl0Icb pic.twitter.com/gFAACtChiF
— 🔺remnant (@remnantposting) September 2, 2023
Talking with my sons in their 20s. I just found out they don’t know how to:
— madeline odent (@oldenoughtosay) September 3, 2023
- afford healthcare
- afford a home
- afford to have kids
- afford to retire
“Nobody in our generation does that stuff”
Y’all, this is wild.
Just me? https://t.co/Lm6Y12HWVL
Talking with my parents in their 60s. I just found out they don’t know how to:
— CeeJaey (@CeeJaeyTF2) September 2, 2023
- rocket jump
- build übercharge
- send a trade offer
- install custom HUDs
“Nobody in our generation does that stuff”
Y’all, this is wild.
Just me? https://t.co/fVJQOaPqUC
Talking with my sons in their 20s. I just found out they don’t know how to:
— Florence of Northumbria (@FlorenceHRScott) September 3, 2023
- dip a tallow candle
- shoe a horse
- make ink from oak galls
- write in caroline minuscule
“Nobody in our generation does that stuff”
Y’all, this is wild.
Just me? https://t.co/CbsnFa6DpZ
Talking with my sibling in their 20s. I just found out they don't know how to:
— Spencer McDaniel (@SpenceMcDaniel) September 4, 2023
– follow the rules of ξενία
– perform a dithyramb for Dionysos
– interpret omens from the flights and songs of birds
– write on papyrus using a wooden stylus in proper Attic Greek
Y'all, this is wild. https://t.co/pjukxO421r
it’s like gen z doesn’t even know how to impress cuneiform characters into wet clay using a stylus made from the arundo donax species of reed anymore, smh https://t.co/aaoYro9nvt
— Dr. Moudhy Al-Rashid (@Moudhy) September 3, 2023
Not my teenagers 18 and 13, you know why? Because I taught them myself. We can't place the onus on teachers to do all the educating, that's on us as parents too https://t.co/POGoo1W0uY
— Tanesha, BSN RN Karen Kryptonite (@ERnurse86) September 2, 2023
So you failed to teach your children how to do these basic tasks but you come on the internet to slate an entire generation for it? https://t.co/9FFE26Q4CT
— Tom Cruise’s Shoe Lifts (@platformedboots) September 1, 2023
Darcy Jimenez
Sunday
@mimi10v3
The character: Max, online poster, elder millennial, curious mind
The plot: I must applaud Max, who asked how smart people — “say iq 145+” — realized their minds differed from “avg folks” in this tremendously straightforward post.
for ppl who are intellectually anomalous (say, iq 145+) how does your mind differ from avg folks and how do you know?
— maxxx (@mimi10v3) September 3, 2023
The repercussion:
This is pure X posting. Call and response. A good-faith, hook, line and sinker tweet that elicits old-school jest.
i’m iq 85. sort of anomoly in the other way. would you like to know about my mind too?
— Sunk Cost Pharisee (@Liamjsm) September 4, 2023
I think the dishwasher door should have a window like a front-loading washing machine so I can watch the dishes get washed https://t.co/9gQPGRkFVA
— Ben (online) (@BenIsYourHero) September 4, 2023
telekinesis and telepathy are real but most of our community is really polite and don’t let people know we’re reading their thoughts because it would make them self conscious. I will bust out telekinesis but only for close friends or if a woman is fully in girlfriend territory https://t.co/LPIv51H1aE
— Could You Smoke This Whole Thing? (@ByYourLogic) September 4, 2023
when an average iq person is talking to me and i get bored i pick them up and spin them around using my big brains telekinetic power https://t.co/7yY2biAqlt
— on my laptop at hooters (@fart) September 4, 2023
i’ve noticed that 5x5=25 gives Friday vibes https://t.co/0mxzSeA5bY
— carl 🥦 (@NightlifeMingus) September 4, 2023
i know how to use bitmoji https://t.co/kmdtR7RJ80 pic.twitter.com/g0mPbbj7Yl
— SLUG (@generalslug) September 4, 2023
Adwait Patil
Saturday
Nina Infinity
The character: Nina Infinity, gamer who hates video games having inclusive options
The plot: Hey fellas, are you violently mad that "woke" video games let people use their preferred pronouns when creating a fictional character? Like, aggressively angry that there's a button to include them? Even though it's totally optional and just a nice, considerate feature for some people? If this sounds like you, here are some tweets supporting your inane rage!
I almost refunded my game when #Starfield asked me for pronouns.
— Nina Infinity (@Nina7Infinity) September 2, 2023
I still might.. I'm annoyed about it.
Note: The game doesn’t actually ask you for anything, the pronoun option is just there if you want it, and you can ignore it if you don't. The character creator is a fraction of the entire game.
The repercussion: If you want to go down the rabbit hole of people flipping their sh—t over this simple courtesy, there are a lot of YouTubers making videos about the topic. A topic no one else is really thinking about or concerned with, as it isn’t a problem whatsoever. Some people (mainly dude bros) just cannot handle a changing world in which gender is a spectrum and people have the autonomy and right to call themselves whatever they want, even it doesn’t fit into the old-school concept of sexual binaries.
Some Starfield players are refunding/boycotting the game over pronoun selection in the character creation menu pic.twitter.com/JmNkkBbuEC
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) September 3, 2023
😆 go woke go broke lol fragile crybabies pic.twitter.com/b6rAl09Wlt
— Andy Cortez (didn't pay) (@TheAndyCortez) September 3, 2023
New rating criteria for games: how long would, theoretically, the Starfield pronoun guys' meltdown be for your game? Longer meltdown is higher score.
— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@tha_rami) September 4, 2023
Turns out Hogwarts Legacy had nearly the same levels of pronoun and gender control that Starfield does but that didn't stop the men babies because they thought playing it owned trans people pic.twitter.com/z7UQ6wq2Dz
— The Serfs (@theserfstv) September 5, 2023
Are we too late to make Starfield angry gamer pronoun jokes? @TheCatziilla #Starfield pic.twitter.com/bsLSelzsJW
— FooYa (@iFooYa) September 6, 2023
Imagine being this fragile 😂
— 👾 Angel 🎮 🕹️ (@Helexzura) September 2, 2023
Jared Russo
Tuesday
Aella
The character: Aella, X account with a big following, loves an honest opinion
The plot: Aella, a popular X account (based purely off their follower count), posted about one of their partners giving them an elaborate apology note after they said “you’re not that pretty” to Aella during a “tender moment.” The post was shared in response to a joke tweet about the importance of "committing to the bit" that your girlfriend is the most beautiful woman in the world.
one of my partners once was like 'you're not that pretty' during a tender moment
— Aella (@Aella_Girl) September 5, 2023
i rolled over in the fetal position and groaned for like an hour, and then he went and made me an im sorry card out of construction paper and markers and stickers https://t.co/UoPNaMTROp pic.twitter.com/VAnTbVrzn2
(And if the OP seems familiar, it might be because of their previous OMC material, namely a tweet about not showering regularly — but hey, who are we to judge?)
The repercussion:
If you let people on the internet see any aspect your personal life, be ready to either feature in the next Hollywood script or be piled on incessantly. The commenters who were the loudest were mostly irked by the behavior of both people in this relationship, and OP didn’t receive much sympathy from anyone in particular.
i feel like dating man who doesn't make you feel like he sees god in your eyes is doing yourself a disservice https://t.co/Ad5mev17Yl
— megan (@chismosavirus) September 5, 2023
this is genuinely repulsive https://t.co/AKtkdGzn71
— i hate you eric adams (@sonyashea3) September 5, 2023
i think it’s simply better to be alone than to navigate relationships like this https://t.co/c4knWsolcW
— aphrodite’s daughter (@GURUJAHRA) September 6, 2023
“you’re not that pretty” pic.twitter.com/qD0pv2WrNA https://t.co/P2r7gTBsEi
— sk (@kirkxxs) September 5, 2023
Every couple says something to their partner that hurts and hopefully they make amends. So… I’m not about to dogpile but all I’m gonna say is I hope everyone has a partner who calls them cute and pretty and sexy or whatever so often that you start to take it for granted. https://t.co/F8qdwBTVZo
— Ashley Reese (@offbeatorbit) September 6, 2023
Adwait Patil
Sunday
Matt Walsh
The character: Matt Walsh, right-wing commentator, policer of women's lives
The plot: Sorry to remind you of Matt Walsh's existence, but the below tweet from him caused such a stir — including national news coverage — that it would be remiss of me not to include it in this week's roundup.
Last weekend, TikTok user Julia Mazur posted a lighthearted video about what her day as a single, childless young woman would entail — including waking up late, making shakshouka and watching TV. Nice!
That is, until Walsh shared her video on X, deducing — from one short clip — that because Mazur doesn't have children, her life "revolves around TV shows and pop stars." "Worst of all, she’s too stupid to realize how depressing this is," he wrote.
That's right: in the year 2023, men still expect women to prioritize bearing children over any other aspiration they might have, and continue to shame those who dare to choose a different path than the one tradition prescribes. Why does anyone care whether anyone else has children or not? Seriously, why? I don't understand.
Her life doesn’t revolve around her family and kids so instead it revolves around TV shows and pop stars. Worst of all she’s too stupid to realize how depressing this is.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 3, 2023
pic.twitter.com/eLRsQBF1yz
The repercussion: Though Mazur sadly received hate and death threats in response to her post, many online came out in support of her — including "Shark Tank" businessman Mark Cuban, who argued with former Trump adviser Stephen Miller in Mazur's defense.
Mazur herself also posted a response to the uproar, calling out Matt Walsh and his abusive followers.
@pmdpod Getting bullied on social media was definitely not on my bingo card this year. #childlessmillennial #childlessbychoice #singleinyour30s ♬ original sound - Julia Mazur
Says the guy who's life revolves around Twitter/X https://t.co/xI6oIhpf79
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) September 4, 2023
Thanks for asking Stephen. 1. I wouldn't give her advice unless she asked.
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) September 4, 2023
2. After looking at the comments to her posts, I would thank her for offering a place for people who can relate to her, to engage and have a conversation. She replies to the comments and based on that,… https://t.co/LdTbS9Z1P5
The girl in the video below is a friend of mine from college, Julia.
— Alex Friedman 🤠 (@heyalexfriedman) September 4, 2023
She hosts a podcast where she talks about breakups, relationships and trying to love yourself at any stage you are in.
The fact that Matt took her video out of context to build some commentary that fits a… https://t.co/J3AxeGoYuZ
Ever notice how men never get angry at other men who refuse to settle down and have kids??? So interesting
— Dulma 🦋 (@iamdulma) September 4, 2023
It's ok to be single
— OldMateGamer (@oldmategamer) September 4, 2023
It's ok to be married
It's not ok to tell other people that they should/shouldn't be married/single 🤷🏻♂️
Simple
Matt Walsh: I believe in freedom!!
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) September 5, 2023
Also Matt Walsh: Do what I want! Why are you doing what you want?! Do what I want!!
Right-wing media hosts should be honest & admit they hate the idea of freedom and want everyone to follow their dumbass rules left over from many centuries ago. https://t.co/JJ2rSjhxiG
The endless attacks of this person simply for being happy and living her life are a prime example of how anti freedom the GOP is. They are losing their minds over someone just because they have chosen to live their life in a way that they want. What snowflakes. https://t.co/Mc9ZN1DnfB
— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) September 4, 2023
———
Read the previous edition of our One Main Character column, featuring someone who thinks they're the authority on good and bad art, a sportsman with a confusing take, a Frenchman riling up Americans and an NFL Twitter account that should've paused for thought before hitting send.