Roseanne saga is a microcosm of life in America today

Life comes at you fast. One day you’re the star of a prime-time sitcom, the next you’ve been fired for racist comments on Twitter.

I’m talking about Roseanne Barr, of course, the comedian whose eponymous ABC programme ‘Roseanne’ ended a surprisingly successful comeback season last week. Unfortunately for Barr, the show’s planned second season was cancelled Tuesday afternoon, after her racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, an adviser to President Barack Obama — “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” it said — went viral.

Am I surprised? Not at all, and no one else should be, either. Americans should be used to this cycle by now, as we are all living through it on a much larger and more destructive scale. Yes: The Roseanne saga is a microcosm of the experience, America’s past 18 months writ small.

Truly, it has everything.

You could begin with the re-emergence of the show and its star in its most general sense, which paralleled US President Donald Trump’s emergence and popularity almost exactly. ‘Roseanne’ the show was a reboot of the kitschy 1990s-era franchise and was freshly celebrated for bravely uplifting the views of a “real America.” (That America is white and working-class, naturally, and apparently underrepresented — if “underrepresented” means the same thing as “the subject of incessant media coverage.”)

On the show, Roseanne thinks Muslims are terrorists and her husband calls immigrants “illegals.” But she’s not really a racist, we’re told, and he’s just economically anxious. Sound familiar?

And then there is Roseanne Barr the person, who has a history of making inflammatory statements and pushing right-wing conspiracy theories — whether it’s lending credence to a bizarre theory that Democrats ran a paedophile ring; making wild insinuations about the death of Democratic National Committee employee Seth Rich; or accusing businessman and philanthropist George Soros of Nazism and attempts to undermine American democracy.

Still, Barr was celebrated for being “outspoken,” “provocative” and “not politically correct” — right up until her tweet referring to a successful black woman as an ape, an obviously racist statement that she still refuses to acknowledge as such.

Barr only regrets making a “bad joke about [Jarrett’s] politics and her looks.” “Very fine people,” anyone?

Timid media coverage

Which leads to the initial mystifyingly timid media coverage of such appalling events, delivered by outlets that have an odd discomfort with putting a name to the obvious.

“Roseanne Barr attacks former Obama adviser in racially-charged tweet,” read a headline from the Hill on Tuesday morning. “Roseanne Barr Starts Storm With Offensive Twitter Post About Ex-Obama Adviser,” said an early article from the New York Times. “Roseanne Rips Ex-Obama Aide Valerie Jarrett,” read the entertainment site the Wrap.

No, Barr’s tweet was racist, not just offensive or racially charged. It wasn’t a “rip,” it was a bigoted personal attack. This should not be so difficult to say.

Finally, there is the way the whole story has played out. It all happened on Twitter, over a lightning-fast news cycle. There was a series of thoughtless comments, a speedy backlash fuelled by public outrage, a ridiculous defence, a disingenuous apology and, almost certainly, a star who will soon say — give it time, everyone — that she has been unfairly attacked by the left, turning her into a martyr for the right-wing cause. This is the exhausting circus we’ve been living with for months now, and it shows no signs of calming down. The ringmaster may be different in this instance, but it’s the same dispiriting show.

There is only one place where the stories don’t line up, at least not yet. ABC, the television network responsible for the ‘Roseanne’ reboot, was wise enough to pull the plug on the second season after its star revealed once again who she really was.

— Washington Post

Christine Emba is an opinion columnist and editor for The Post.

About Roseanne

Roseanne Barr is a controversial American actress, comedian and television producer. Winner of an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, she is a granddaughter of immigrants from Russia. Given to controversial statements and stunts, her latest show ‘Roseanne’ was a ratings monster that helped partially revive ABC network’s struggling ratings, and was already renewed for a second season. It was the biggest show in the US upon its premiere and, as per the most recent ratings, was among the most watched shows. ABC moved swiftly to cancel ‘Roseanne’ after Barr made the racist statement on Twitter, which she later alluded to as a “bad joke”.

Source: Agencies