Bret Stephens, NYT writer has a melt down -Long about a privileged guy getting a smack down.

[irisblue]

Background-the NYT Building has an infestation of bedbugs on -slate-https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/08/the-new-york-times-has-bed-bugs.html


At the New York Times, Bedbugs
“Evidence of bedbugs” was discovered on every floor of the newsroom.
By ASHLEY FEINBERG

AUG 26, 20191:37 PM

A GWU prof, David Karpf, made a twitter joke(- davekarpf (@davekarpf) Tweeted:
The bedbugs are a metaphor. Tweet-"The bedbugs are Bret Stephens-". The prof has disagreed with Stephens takes on topics, esp on climate change. Prof went on about his day.

But the Stephens learned about the tweet..


Source-https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/27/bret-stephens-bedbug-david-karpf-twitter/

The tweet seemed harmless enough to David Karpf. The associate professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University took a story that bedbugs had infested the New York Times newsroom as an occasion to dig at his least favorite Times writer, the conservative columnist Bret Stephens.

“The bedbugs are a metaphor,” Karpf wrote on Monday. “The bedbugs are Bret Stephens."

The tweet got nine total likes and zero retweets, Karpf said. So the professor was surprised when an email from Stephens himself popped in a few hours later.

Then, he noticed his provost at GWU was copied on the email. And Stephens was furious."


Lots more at article.
Twitter was ON IT. It has been a trending topic for at least 10 hours, alot of people are not impressed with Stephens. I'm not either.


This AM, Stephens posted to twitter....Bret Stephens (@BretStephensNYT) Tweeted:
Time to do what I long ago promised to do. Twitter is a sewer. It brings out the worst in humanity. I sincerely apologize for any part I've played in making it worse, and to anyone I've ever hurt. Thanks to all of my followers, but I'm deactivating this account.

Link to tweet

And he has deleted his twitter account.


If this would only work with David Brooks.

[EleanorR]

1. Yet Bret defended tucker carlson

Link to tweet

[NewJeffCT]

2. The random guy pointed out

that his tweet received all of 9 likes and 0 retweets and comments when he made it, but Stephens still felt compelled to contact the University Provost where he worked. Snowflake meltdown.

[EleanorR]

3. How did Stephens even become aware of this obscure tweet?

If Stephens had just left it alone with it's 9 little likes and zero retweets, it would likely have remained obscure, but because he had to write the guys boss it has garnered national attention.

[blogslut]

5. I'm guessing Bret has an entire Twitter list dedicated to his name

Or, hourly, he types his name in the search box and clicks the clicky thing.

[NewJeffCT]

6. maybe he searches for his name online?

or had a friend/colleague mention it?

but, it's a real dick move to contact the university provost

[irisblue]

4. Stephens next NYT opinion piece is going to be a whizbang.

[demmiblue]

7. He is whining about it on MSNBC. Snowflake.

Jansing asked him if that was the worst thing he has been called on social media. Heh!

There are a lot of comments from women on Twitter.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[irisblue]

8. So he is trying to start his rehabilitation tour already?

As much suck up to Tucker Carlson, betcha he will be on that show tonight

[demmiblue]

10. Here is the video:

Link to tweet

[ProfessorPlum]

12. what an asshole

"I didn't want to get the guy into any professional trouble, but it was important that his boss knows how he behaves online"

What a lying snake. What a fuckhead.

You're in the public eye, Stephens. Be grateful someone even knows your name enough to insult you, you worthless piece of shit. You cockroach. You bedbug.

[demmiblue]

13. People are calling him Bretbug on Twitter... the name is going to stick to him for a loooong time!

[ProfessorPlum]

14. LOL

so well-deserved

[Hermit-The-Prog]

24. Bretbug Stephens!

That fits.

[Hortensis]

9. :) Agree.

[asiliveandbreathe]

11. My email to the professor this morning...

I concur with your metaphor re NYT so called journo...

To karpf

Happened to catch Stephens this morning on MSNBC..you would think he was so innocent..I read through some of his comments with regards to his climate denialism, and his support of the guy pretending to be president..with regards to kavboy...

He should have stayed at the WSJ...to call the provost into the fray is a total snowflake move...glad to read the NYT is dealing with eradicating bedbugs...I hope they don't miss this one..as my husband always says to those who spew "chit" - shut up and no one will know what is wrong with you".

Be well Professor, (fyi - not on twitter)

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. "Dear Merriam-Webster twitter account ..."

It was brought to my attention that you subtweeting me. Would you dare do this in front of my wife & kids? Put up your dukes, dictionary!
Bret Stephens
cc: Your manager.

Merriam-Webster
@MerriamWebster
· 12h
The 'Streisand effect' occurs when the attempt to cover something up only brings it more attention or notoriety.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[BruceWane]

16. Just...... wow..........

But Tuesday morning, Stephens appeared on MSNBC to address the incident further.

He called the Karpf’s bedbugs tweet “dehumanizing and totally unacceptable”

...........as opposed to conservatives actually calling various large groups of people animals, with no trace of metaphor implied or intended.

[demmiblue]

17. Sleeping Giants tweet:

Link to tweet

[dalton99a]

18. Why is this climate change denier on the NYT payroll?

[irisblue]

19. The GWU provost replies to Stephens

GW University (@GWtweets) Tweeted:
https://t.co/NGSR2ahlUl

Link to tweet

Bretbug Stephens nex column is going to be interesting.

And Stephens meltdown is covering David Brooks latest opinion piece and his 'whattaboutism'

[Paladin]

20. Wonkette.com has a glorious take-down of Stephens, right now. Worth your time.

What a fucking hypocrite that guy is.

[irisblue]

21. Yeppers

https://www.wonkette.com/who-among-us-would-not-call-bret-stephens-a-bedbug-in-front-of-his-wife


Snip-"Bret Stephens has spent the last three years at the New York Times defining himself as a champion of "academic freedom." He has railed against political correctness and snowflakes and most of all, safe spaces. He has insisted that in order for us all to be truly free, victims of sexual assault must listen to the thoughts and feelings of those who don't think sexual assault is that bad; that female students must listen to sexism, that students of color must listen to racist bullshit, and that "students with traditional religious values or conservative political views" must feel free to express themselves, no matter how insulting their views are to other people."


Snip-"Which makes Stephens's reaction to Dr. Dave Karpf, an associate professor at George Washington University, making a mild joke on Twitter yesterday about Bret Stephens being a bedbug, all the more poignant.

Rather than ignoring it, taking a break from the internet, saying something snarky back — the options most people choose when they are insulted on Twitter — Stephens decided to instead shoot off an email to Dr. Karpf asking him to come to his house and call him a bedbug to his face, in front of his wife and children, and copied Karpf's university provost on it. You know, so that provost would know just how mean this guy was being to Bret Stephens, right in front of God and everyone."

Snip-"And here is what he wrote in an article titled "Free Speech and The Necessity of Discomfort," in which he railed against liberals who thought that a New York Times profile of a Nazi who likes cooking and watching Seinfeld and just being a normal middle class guy was perhaps a tad too fluffy:

To hear such speech may make us uncomfortable. As well it should. Discomfort is not injury. An intellectual provocation is not a physical assault. It's a stimulus. Over time, it can improve our own arguments, and sometimes even change our minds.

In either case, it's hard to see how we can't benefit from it, if we choose to do so. Make that choice. Democracy is enriched if you do. So are you."

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

[Paladin]

23. I would dearly love to see the NYT do the proper thing:

Give the right-wing second-raters---Stephens, Brooks, Douthat, Dowd---their walking papers. Let 'em find positions at Fox, where they'll fit in better. Restore the Times' status as a thoughtful, genuinely liberal publication.


It won't happen, of course, but it would be nice.

[irisblue]

22. And is he back? All that women are too emotional guff is over .

Bret Stephens (@bretstephensNY) Tweeted:
Hello Twitter world, after much deliberation with my wife and family I have decided to return to the platform. I do not want to create the personal safe space I so adamantly lamented in the past. Looking forward to some meaningful discussions!

Link to tweet

I'm not sure if this one is a parody account

[Hermit-The-Prog]

25. it's not easy to dispel bretbugs

The little bloodsuckers keep coming back.

[Thomas Hurt]

26. Trump has his touch myself rallies and folders, this dude, likes to see his name on twitter