Bernie Sanders’ supporters have had a track record of cyberbullying or “trolling,” an offense that has been frowned upon by everyone, including fellow senators. A loyal member of Sanders’ campaign added fuel to that fire when they became subject to the same online toxicity in social media that has been associated with Sander’s supporters.
What We Know:
- A tweet posted by Kamala Harris on Monday night called for free coronavirus treatment and testing. The tweet coincided with the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs and are bracing for a recession as government officials say the worst is yet to come.
Testing for coronavirus AND treatment needs to be free. Period.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) March 30, 2020
- As powerful as social media is now a days, a common consequence is misinterpretation. The most common reading many people got suggested that Harris’ tweet must have mean’t that she was against free healthcare, except in the cases of the coronavirus.
- One of the more critical responses came from Briahna Joy Gray, Sanders’ national press secretary, who replied to Harris’ tweet a little more than an hour after it was posted. She implied Harris’ appeal was a decent start but immediately opened up her choice of words.
- That response was later met by Tiffany Cross, the managing editor of political newsletter The-Beat DC, on Tuesday morning with some advice. She cautioned that “Trolling someone who isn’t even an opponent,” is not a beneficial move for any candidate, clearly referencing Harris’s sudden end to her presidential campaign back in December.
https://twitter.com/TiffanyDCross/status/1244958429833310209?s=20
However, Cross’ tweet immediately reflected back on her as she got accused of being insensitive to the fact that Harris’ mother died of cancer. The irony of this social media mess is that Harris’ platform included Medicare for all to begin with, the very healthcare policy that would address the concerns in her initial tweet.
