ABC follows the NFL’s lead
By Tom Quiner
Good riddance to Roseanne Barr. ABC was perfectly justified for cancelling her top-rated show after Ms. Barr sent out a racially-tinged tweet equating Valerie Jarrett (who is African-American) with an ape.
Such ugly racism deserves a quick, decisive smackdown. ABC’s brand would have taken a hit had they kept Barr’s show in their prime time line-up.
ABC surely learned from the NFL’s travails. The NFL ratings have experienced a precipitous decline the last two years since some players began taking a knee during the national anthem. Their ratings dropped 8 points alone last season.
Their brand has taken a hit, just as ABC’s would have had they kept Barr’s show on air.
The whole affair surely leaves some conservatives unsettled, since it exposes a double-standard in the entertainment industry. After all, Wanda Sykes had called President Trump an orangutan (an ape) in an obscenity-laced rant, and Ms. Sykes is the head writer on the “Roseanne” show. That didn’t bother ABC, since it is politically-correct to say anything about Mr. Trump.
There’s no question that there’s a double standard. But that’s really not the point. Barr’s tweet was repulsive. I wouldn’t want someone like that associated with my brand. ABC has every right to protect their brand and stand up for whatever values they believe in.
The irony is that the same people ranting against the new NFL policy which bans kneeling during the anthem are applauding ABC’s decision to can Barr.
What is doubly ironic is that the NFL has simply adopted the same policy regarding the anthem that the National Basketball Association has had in place for a quarter of a century.
To recap:
- Are Hollywood and Big Media hypocritical phonies? Yes.
- Was ABC justified in cancelling “Roseanne?” Yes.
- Is the NFL’s new policy regarding kneeling during the national anthem a good idea? Yes.