The New York Times’ Farhad Manjoo was among those confused by the snippet from Michael Wolff’s new book claiming that Donald Trump thought that the “gorilla channel” is a thing. That snippet, of course, was an obvious parody, but for a while there, Manjoo wasn’t sure:
I’m sorry I have a question
Is the gorilla channel thing real or fake?
I thought it was clearly fake but people are talking as if it’s real and I don’t know who’s mistaken.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about don’t look it up because it might be fake.
— Farhad Manjoo (feat. Drake) (@fmanjoo) January 5, 2018
Now that he knows it’s a fake, he has a humble request from you people:
Don’t tweet screenshots of fake text (of book excerpts, court transcripts, etc) even as a joke.
You’re making things worse.
The jokes just don’t work in a partisan-echo-chamber-feed world where everything is divorced from context and authorship.
Also they’re not funny
— Farhad Manjoo (feat. Drake) (@fmanjoo) January 5, 2018
What a killjoy.
This is a garbage take. Maybe you shouldn't breathlessly RT everything you see that supports your preconceived notions without taking 5 seconds to check whether you're reading an obviously absurd joke. "Don't confuse the simple-minded with jokes" is not a way to cure stupid. https://t.co/L3hk16qAYX
— neontaster ? (@neontaster) January 5, 2018
Exactly. And Real Journalists™ like those at the NYT push fake news all the time. At least this fake news had comedic value.
Nobody can tell jokes because Eric Garland has the mental capacity of a mentally-challenged lemming https://t.co/Jiq7Ligq9E
— I'm a M'Fin Pickle in a Top Hat (@sunnyright) January 5, 2018
Why should the public be deprived of something so wonderful just because tools like Eric Garland are too dumb to recognize a joke when they see it?
Stop monkeying around with the truth, tweeps. https://t.co/YMwcD55c3T
— Liars Never Win (@liars_never_win) January 5, 2018
Hee!
Yes, being super earnest and joyless is what twitter is for. https://t.co/F1q7rAB2j9
— BT (@back_ttys) January 5, 2018
— Carl Gustav (@CaptYonah) January 5, 2018
your worst take yet
— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) January 5, 2018
Farhad Manjoo can avert his eyes if he wants. But we’re not about to stop sharing comedy gold to appease his delicate journalistic sensibilities.
Actually do all of these things because it’s funny. https://t.co/7OukdwpUQy
— EducatédHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) January 5, 2018
Narrator: They were funny. https://t.co/7OukdwpUQy
— EducatédHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) January 5, 2018
Narrator: "They are really funny." https://t.co/zx3Aaf1Dic
— Sula Sula Sula (@mosesmosesmoses) January 5, 2018
no, gorilla channel thing is very funny
— Alex Yablon (@AlexYablon) January 5, 2018
It was very funny and it’s even funnier now that you and the likes of Eric Garland fell for it
— Zach (@BarroldBonds) January 5, 2018
Dude, it's OK that you were momentarily taken in. The best satire will do that. But it was still funny as hell.
— Patrick Matthews (@matthews_p) January 5, 2018
It was enormously funny.
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) January 5, 2018
actually, the gorilla parody was hilarious. and a nice interlude from the usual Trumpmania rage etc.
— Joe Nocera (@NoceraBV) January 5, 2018
Wrong. Fake Gorilla TV anecdote was hilarious https://t.co/EW6OWZCIzW
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) January 5, 2018
The one about the Gorilla Channel was fucking hilarious.
Stop being a bitch. https://t.co/Pxl2Z2Nkaw
— RBe (@RBPundit) January 5, 2018
And hey, speaking of hilarious:
Enormously funny how many journos & thought leaders don’t check the source before they comment on something.
— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) January 5, 2018
El. Oh. El.
