Whether you’ve seen it or not, you at least know of the female Ghostbusters reboot that has hit theaters. You probably also know about the divisiveness it’s created within the ranks of moviegoers. Don’t worry though, this isn’t yet another review of the film, but a look at what it’s exposing in the social media landscape.
After writing a negative review on Ghostbusters, Breitbart’s tech editor, Milo Yiannopoulos, kicked off a Twitter firestorm between himself and the film’s star, Leslie Jones. After receiving a slew of messages from haters, Jones fought back, retweeting the comments and singling out the trolls. It was then that Milo joined the feud, reminding Jones that everyone gets hate mail. This spurred an argument between the two, which eventually resulted in Jones blocking Milo. While Milo did throw some cheeky insults at Jones while defending his position, none of them compared to the death threats and racist remarks she received from the trolls. Despite this, Milo was soon permanently banned on the grounds of violating Twitter’s abuse policy. Since then, he’s been on the offensive, attacking the social platform for seemingly deporting him for no reason.
In a statement made on , Milo said, “Twitter is holding me responsible for the actions of fans and trolls, using the special pretzel logic of the left. Where are the Twitter police when Justin Bieber’s fans cut themselves on his behalf?”
Milo’s outspoken “cultural libertarian” view, which opposes the idea of culture as a corrupting influence, has been challenged by many liberal groups, including feminists, whom Twitter favors, argues Milo. He said: “With the cowardly suspension of my account, Twitter has confirmed itself as a safe space for Muslim terrorists and Black Lives Matter extremists, but a no-go zone for conservatives.”
