(Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)
has apologized to 9-year-old
Quvenzhané Wallis after sending out a deeply-offensive tweet about the “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Oscar-nominated actress last night.
“No person should be subjected to such a senseless, humorless comment masquerading as satire,” writes
Onion CEO Steve Hannah in a statement
issued today.
“Miss Wallis, you are young and talented and deserve better. All of us at The Onion are deeply sorry.”
Last night, someone on the fake news organization’s Twitter account, perhaps in attempt to poke fun at all the attention the young actress has received lately, took the Onion’s trademark satire too far.
“Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a c---, right? #Oscars2013” -@TheOnion (8:24 p.m., Feb. 24)
Crude and offensive, indeed, and what felt like something nearly in tandem with the tone of this year’s Oscars, its host Seth MacFarlane easily offending or at least annoying someone you know at least once last night.
As this present culture continues to adjust itself to new norms, new snark, new attitudes, the
Onion’s tweet – taken down within an hour of its posting – reminds us there are certain lines that shouldn’t be crossed, and attacking kids, even
supposedly in jest, is one of them.
It’s a deplorable word to begin with, but then to call a child that?
The tweet may have been pulled down but was nonetheless damaging and not without reaction.
The tweets are endless.
Hannah says in his letter to Wallis that the
Onion is taking immediate steps to discipline those responsible for the tweet.
And the bottom line.
It’s just… our memories are so short.
