'Thought you'd lost your mind': David Frum tries for irony, fails

David Frum, senior editor of The Atlantic, sparked quite a conversation on the limits of freedom of speech when he posited the idea that a senior Dutch government official shouldn’t lose her job for suggesting that ISIS has nothing to do with Islam but instead is “part of a plan by Zionists who are deliberately trying to blacken Islam’s name.”

Freedom of speech is under threat when a govt official can lose her job just for saying that ISIS is a Jewish plot http://t.co/LzE6NVVr8B

— David Frum (@davidfrum) August 22, 2014

@davidfrum I don't know, David. I respect your brilliance, but in this case, insulting a religion with a bogus conspiracy seems grounds.

— Ben Kunz (@benkunz) August 22, 2014

https://twitter.com/cclagator/status/502962897983520768

.@davidfrum Pretty sure the First Amendment does not protect your job when you engage in blood libel.

— M.S. Bellows, Jr. (@msbellows) August 22, 2014

@davidfrum Freedom of Speech protects one's legal right to say stupid (including anti-Semitic) things, but not from consequences.

— Angel of the Dawn (@IHateAllLife) August 22, 2014

https://twitter.com/meredith_marie/status/502963500579577856

https://twitter.com/LessManning/status/502966728679514112

@davidfrum I would hope the government would shed itself of someone so ignorant and bigoted.

— Mary Beth Schneider (@marybschneider) August 23, 2014

Interesting points all, but never mind: Frum says he was trying to be ironic.

Recommended

Punishing the Winner? Somehow, Sam Darnold Has to Pay California $14,000 For Winning the Super Bowl

Aaron Walker

Advertisement

Um, I was trying for irony on this, I don’t actually think national security officials shd keep job if they think ISIS a Jewish plot

— David Frum (@davidfrum) August 22, 2014

@davidfrum Twitter is not a friendly medium for irony. #CancelFrum

— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) August 22, 2014

https://twitter.com/meredith_marie/status/502965555674886144

@HeerJeet @davidfrum I read all tweets as at least semi-ironic. Even weather updates feel a bit snarky.

— Nathan Whitlock (@nathanwhitlock) August 22, 2014

https://twitter.com/Jet_Jensen/status/502966191829159936

https://twitter.com/bmorerican/status/502970738736136192

Nothing to worry about, then.

https://twitter.com/jpenkethman/status/502964549130387457