In case you missed it, liberal journalists have been freaking the hell out over the Atlantic hiring conservative writer Kevin D. Williamson:
I wrote about Kevin D. Williamson's body of work and the state of conservative media: "This isn’t an intellectual exercise, not really. It’s equivalent to a middle school boy snapping a female classmate’s bra strap." https://t.co/PU19pp9Z1B
— Sarah Jones (@onesarahjones) March 27, 2018
I look forward to The Atlantic's ideas section being full of socialist writers that it takes as seriously as it does Kevin Williamson. https://t.co/VfrIoWf2sJ pic.twitter.com/t4ZgtVbgC6
— Nora Biette-Timmons (@biettetimmons) March 27, 2018
I only just realized, reading this very good @onesarahjones piece https://t.co/swWM3WUWJV , that Kevin D. Williamson is the one who wrote the National Review's grotesque, fawning cover story on Scott Pruitt that, tellingly, did not once mention the world "climate" pic.twitter.com/pGtGifhCjG
— Alexander Kaufman (@AlexCKaufman) March 27, 2018
Whaaaaat? That’s unconscionable! Blacklist Williamson forever!
Imagine someone writing something half this offensive about Jews. There is no chance a prestige media outlet could hire them on the grounds of intellectual diversity, and rightfully so. (h/t @onesarahjones)https://t.co/RbDFYEp74k pic.twitter.com/GHsVCjkHa6
— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) March 27, 2018
Also, wow, his horrific, inaccurate, radical views weren't limited to tweets.
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) March 27, 2018
One of the loudest criticisms of Williamson stems from his hatred of abortion:
a conservative writer can suggest hanging as a punishment for abortion, and most conservatives will still balk at calling him an extremist https://t.co/sZl97l2xYj
— Sarah Jones (@onesarahjones) March 27, 2018
Another thing that's crazy about this is what women have to go through to even get single opinion pieces approved on anything around feminism or personhood, and Williamson walks in with his "hey, kill ladies," and gets a prominent column. It's such a double standard.
— Heidi N Moore (@moorehn) March 27, 2018
If you can't take a public stand against "hang all women who have abortions," what exactly do you stand for?
— David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) March 27, 2018
Yes to everything Jessica says here. Especially this: men can say a quarter of women should be hanged and they can enjoy plum columnist positions. Women say men who want to hang women should be unemployable and it costs us jobs and opportunities, because now we’re difficult. https://t.co/l7I2A2Z8fE
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) March 27, 2018
So @TheAtlantic's editor @JeffreyGoldberg knew that Kevin Williamson argued that women should be hanged for having abortions & hired him anyway https://t.co/BPqEfVINXJ pic.twitter.com/NvLDuwAKPZ
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 27, 2018
Ackshually …
By the way, Williamson didn't say women who have abortions should be hanged. He said abortion should be treated like any other homicide, with whatever that entails, and that he has doubts about capital punishment. https://t.co/Tf3SsdGL4W
— Mo Mo (@molratty) March 28, 2018
Yep. Williamson deleted his Twitter account a while back, but his tweets in question are still here:
There’s more where that came from (too many to post here), but basically, Williamson is arguing that abortion is the taking of a human life and deserves to be treated as such.
Well anyway, that’s more than rabid pro-abort journo Jessica Valenti can handle. She loves abortion, but she can’t bring herself to admit that it’s, you know, murder. So instead, she’ll deflect untill she’s blue in the face:
We have sunk so low that the head of a national magazine is explaining to staff that arguing to execute 25% of the female population in America is just a "controversial aspect" of someone's writing. pic.twitter.com/Sp0QmbulaV
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 27, 2018
The condescension here is unconscionable. Those furious at @TheAtlantic for hiring someone who argued for genocidal-level executions of women didn't do so because we were *unfamiliar* with the rest of his writing. The entirety of his writing is how we knew he was serious.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 27, 2018
Goldberg writes in his memo that it's his "mission to make sure that we outdo our industry in achieving gender equality." I wonder how he'll do that after making so clear to his female staff that their personhood is secondary to "ideological diversity."
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 27, 2018
How many female staffers at @TheAtlantic have had abortions? Is Goldberg comfortable with forcing them to work with a man who thinks they should be hanged?
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 27, 2018
I realize I'm burning lots of bridges here, but this memo is essentially a declaration that women's lives and freedom do not matter to Goldberg or @TheAtlantic. At least, not more than clicks do.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 27, 2018
Prediction: At some point this thread will cost me a job in media, while men like Kevin Williamson sit pretty.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 27, 2018
Sit pretty? Not if she‘s got anything to say about it.
I'm not saying that Atlantic staffers should wear this shirt on Williamson's first day, but I'm not NOT saying it either. https://t.co/wlyhFGwMVv pic.twitter.com/RsxirzycfP
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 28, 2018
Classy as always, Jessica. This kind of crap will definitely help your morally bankrupt cause!
I don’t think that it would make the point you think it is making…
— Back (@BackFromThat) March 28, 2018
Kevin Williamson was adopted as a child, and he has written quite a bit about how this is a major reason he is pro-life. I don’t think he’ll interpret this the way you hope, whatever that is. https://t.co/KlJeb0JY4e
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) March 28, 2018
Williamson was born a few months before Roe v. Wade and was immediately adopted. His primary argument against abortion is that he feels someone shouldn’t have taken his life. If you feel good about yourself for this, it says a lot more about you than it does Williamson. https://t.co/X8okDDjP9G
— Ellen L. Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) March 28, 2018
Wow, you are so tolerant and respectful of diversity in viewpoints. ???
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisorg) March 28, 2018
"Why don't conservatives go work at Left-leaning outlets?" https://t.co/nzL1mO2wF2
— Erielle Davidson (@politicalelle) March 28, 2018
It really is a mystery.
What is wrong with you people? You are truly sick!
— Lindsay Bachman (@Lins1959) March 28, 2018
Has killing babies now become a badge of honor?
Have you no heart or shame?
You people are quickly losing any form of sanity and morality you have left!
Good luck!
— Deplorable me (@lafranciepants) March 28, 2018
Pure class. Will pray for you.
— Peter Dumon (@pgdumon) March 28, 2018
She’s gonna need it.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional tweets.