Open Letter to Roseanne,Re: Lindy West and your Twitter outrage

Dear Roseanne,

 As someone who has been a longtime fan of your comedy,I'm come to accept the more over the top antics and statements you make from time to time as part and parcel of appreciating your work. However, your latest bit of notoriety leaves me so ashamed of your actions that I can't even consider enjoying a rerun of your former sitcom any time in the foreseeable future.

What I'm talking about is your Twitter response to Lindy West,a blogger for Jezebel who recently went on the F/X show Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell for a debate about rape jokes with comedian Jim Norton. Their discussion was pretty interesting and thought provoking,yet the aftermath of that talk had Lindy dealing with hundreds of vile insults and threats of violence from those brave souls on the internet who love expressing their freedom of speech so honorably there(and yes, I'm being sarcastic big time).

Granted, you don't have to agree with Lindy's position regarding this issue but your two hour Twitter rant at her where you insist that she was "advocating censorship of comedy" and that Jezebel is  a "woman hating" site that doesn't block offensive comments and " anyone who writes for Jezabel knows that" is not only less than helpful to the situation but it seems to be implying that Lindy "asked for it." Hmm,where have I heard that argument made before?

First off, Lindy has repeatedly said that she is NOT calling for censorship, rather for the comedic community to rethink their approach on the subject. Perhaps if you watch the segment in it's entirety(or re-watch,as the case may be), you'll be able to hear that loud and clear.

Secondly, the position that you and many other comedians take on this issue is that when it comes to terrible things in the world such as rape and murder, being able to laugh at them is a cathartic release and that those who have experienced these horrors up close and personal need to be allowed to make great art out of the tragedy in their lives.

While it is true that many legendary comedians have turned their personal demons into comedic gist for their mill and skillfully manage to blend tears and mirth that invokes empathy as well as good humor for their audiences, that is not what Lindy West and those in her circle are talking about.

Their problem is with jokes made for the most part by men(such as Daniel Tosh) that uses the victim as the punchline instead of the rapist,which can understandably reawaken the pain of that violation for those still suffering. Also, it seems to me that what some of these comics are really upset about is not the backlash from the feminist corner but rather the possibility of "repercussions",namely losing a job over something they said in a public forum because of boycotting.

Well,in my opinion, I think that there is a world of difference in taking away power from an aggressor through humor and somebody making a wisecrack that pours fresh salt into a wound. Also, if losing work over something you said is the worst thing you have to deal with, consider yourself lucky especially when comics like Lenny Bruce and George Carlin actually went to jail over their controversial routines. Sometimes freedom of speech has it's drawbacks and to want to say anything that comes into your head and out of your mouth without any negative consequences is a pretty childish stance to take.

 But back to you,Roseanne. Now you may feel that this is a bunch of whining on the part of Lindy West and other feminists and how you handled it back in your day was good enough for you and should be for them too. Well, no. How you dealt with similar situations in your time may have been your best option then but that doesn't mean the next generation can't step up and demand better. You may feel that your way is best but imposing that standard on younger women who might look to you for guidance and approval is an even worse insult than those made by the expected gang of louts in this debate:

 At the very least, the flood of verbal assaults against Lindy West for taking a stand should have secured your compassion,not your ire or ridicule. Even if you strongly disagree with someone else's view of the world and/or society, wishing them serious bodily harm over it is not the decent mature way to handle it and adding fuel to the fire as you did( I will assume that it wasn't intended that way) is beyond atrocious.

On a personal note, I did read over some of those disgusting statements(and watched Lindy's video where she read them aloud) and felt particular hurt at the ones saying she was "too fat and ugly" to even be a rape victim or have sex in the first place. I'm sure you as a large sized woman(as am I) have heard that one far too many times and while it won't stop any time soon, it is still sickening to hear.

I am far from naive enough to believe that the characters an actor or comic portray on screen are true depictions of their real selves, yet I can't help thinking that the fictional Roseanne would be more sympathetic to a target of abuse that you seem to be here.

 All I would hope for you to do in a situation like this is to respect Lindy West(who rightly blocked from her Twitter account) for standing behind her convictions even if you don't go along with them. You know,like Loretta Lynn said in an episode of your own show! I have no doubt that you could care less than a damn about my opinion here and that's fine. You should know,however, that I am not the only fan you've disappointed with your chosen course of conduct in this matter and who will no longer hold you in the same regard as they once did before.

 In other words, this was badly done,Roseanne! Badly done indeed!

Sincerely,

Lady T and the rest of the folks leaving your audience:

P.S.: It is also a shame that you couldn't have offered the same support as the host of Totally Biased did to Lindy afterwards-guess that proves men aren't as insensitive as you always liked to claim in your former punchlines.