Dictonary.com just came for Roseanne Barr and her racist comments
Roseanne Barr is the subject of countless headlines and tweets on Tuesday after posting racist remarks on Twitter before announcing she would be leaving the platform altogether.
Barr's since-deleted tweet was pointed towards Barack Obama's former advisor Valerie Jarrett, saying if the “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”
As noted by many Twitter users, some outlets covered the incident without explicitly calling the behavior "racist." Instead, they chose to initially use words or phrases like "bizarre," "offensive," or "racially charged." Believe it or not, Dictionary.com is on the front lines, calling them out.
SEE ALSO: Roseanne Barr leaves Twitter after racist tirade, Wanda Sykes quits 'Roseanne'
The Twitter account for the online dictionary is known for trolling from time to time. However, this clap back was executed with a simple retweet of CNN Money, who chalked up Roseanne's comments to a "bizarre Twitter rant."
Bizarre is one word to describe Roseanne's comments about Valerie Jarrett, or you could use this one: https://t.co/zVJw6xps0B https://t.co/ffMvKn445c
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 29, 2018
"Bizarre is one word to describe Roseanne's comments about Valerie Jarrett, or you could just use this one," they tweeted, linking to their definition of 'racist.'
The headline for CNN's story does describe the moment as "a racist Twitter rant." It's unclear if that word was added after getting called out by the dictionary.
Roseanne's show has since been cancelled by ABC following the racist remarks, but that didn't stop praise for Dictionary.com from folks on Twitter. Many tweeted their support of the website, and others were surprised that the dictionary went there.
Would not have predicted that dictionaries would be rebuking people one day https://t.co/URPGoz5uYJ
— Elise Foley (@elisefoley) May 29, 2018
— Holley Trent (@HolleyTrent) May 29, 2018
who is running this account...they deserve a raise... https://t.co/c3uZLStDgW
— Earnest Sweat (@EarnestSweat) May 29, 2018
If I ever did anything that would cause THE DICTIONARY to publicly chastise me, I'd be too mortified to show my face ever again. https://t.co/TpqrwIrlXE
— Jill McGregory (@JillMcGregory) May 29, 2018
SHAKE THE TABLE, DICTIONARY. https://t.co/tt2b1bAyhx
— huny young (@huny) May 29, 2018
Merriam-Webster had a different approach to the controversy.
'Canceled' and 'cancelled' are both standard variants. https://t.co/yI7zEjnxHp
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 29, 2018