Twitter Controversy and Xenophobia
JE: Your show Roseanne continues to be one of the most nonconformist, socially conscious and female empowering shows to date. Since then, it seems like some of your views have changed and people have even gone as far to say that they’re bordering on xenophobic. What has changed?
RB: Because they’re full of shit. It’s just a way to discredit me. Nothing I’ve ever said has changed, it’s just that people are paid to discredit me. It’s because of classism that they are paid to discredit me. Define phobic, let’s talk about it. Define what that means, or is it something you just throw around, or does that mean something?
JE: Define xenophobic?
RB: Oh, xenophobic. What does that mean exactly?
JE: Inspiring fear or hatred against other cultures or races.
RB: Really? Like, what are the examples of that? Or is that just something —
JE: Your Twitter account, to be honest. People have commented on the content of your Twitter. Do you do all of your own tweeting or is a social media manager in charge of —
RB: Are you shitting me? What do you mean? You don’t have any examples. You just threw that word around for what reason? People on twitter? What do they mean by xenophobic? They mean racist, right?
JE: Yeah, I think that’s a part of it.
RB: Yeah, well that’s because that’s the only thing the left — the fake left as I like to call them — can throw at people who don’t agree with them. Racist. That’s because they are racist. So no, I’m not a racist and I’m not xenophobic whatsoever. Those people who can anonymously throw those things at people who actually risk something to say something are the reason that everything is bad.
JE: So you’re saying they are just trying to change the topic by calling you these things?
RB: This is who those people attack: Women who are anti-rape activists, they call them racist. They attack anybody who is pro-union and call them xenophobic. I know how this shit works. They are the worst people on Earth and they’re the reason everything is screwed up. They are very privileged people and it is very easy for privileged people to call working class people racist; it makes me sick but they won’t shut me up, I’ll tell you that much. Because I am who I say I am. I’m not a privileged person that sits on their ass calling other people names unless they deserve it. Yeah, they call me everything. The thing they do is take whatever means the most to you, whether you’re an activist or somebody who cares about the people, the thing they are paid to do is discredit you on the thing you have worked your whole life for. They do it on purpose and they target and harass. I’m so glad that Twitter now has a way you can go in and report people who target and harass and get them kicked off. That’s a wonderful thing and I’m glad Twitter is doing that. I love to report people for targeted harassment and see their account removed. It’s a big thrill in my life.
