Brea Jones/Staff Writer and Caroline Lozano/Opinion Director
On May 29, the hit sitcom “Roseanne” was cancelled after its main star and creator, Roseanne Barr tweeted racist remarks about former Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett.
Shortly after these comments were tweeted, most of the cast members took to their their social media pages and websites to announce their disapproval of Barr’s ignorant comments.
While I wasn’t surprised that the show was cancelled, it is important to note the impact this decision will have on the future of network shows.
ABC Entertainment Group’s executive president Channing Dungey could’ve brushed Barr’s comments to the side as the show’s high ratings and critical response makes it a heavy loss for the network.
Despite these factors, however, Dungey still pulled the plug on the show, stating that “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values,” according to CNBC, making her actions seem almost heroic to many people.
While it’s unfortunate that the rest of the cast was punished due to the acts and behavior of one cast member, I wholeheartedly agreed that it was the right decision.
The show was already on my dislike radar because of its poor execution of certain messages and themes. For example, there was one cringe-worthy episode about Roseanne fearing her Muslim neighbors because she thinks they’re building a bomb.
Some people have felt that the decision to cancel “Roseanne” is an act of forced political correctness and that Barr should be able to say what she wants without any consequences since it’s her “freedom of speech.”
Barr’s freedom of speech, however, was not infringed upon with this cancellation. She simply received backlash for comments, and more consequences followed afterwards.
Yes, Barr has the right to say what she thinks or feels at any given moment, but she certainly cannot escape the consequences of what she says.
In this day and age, freedom of speech shouldn’t be used to promote racism and division, especially if you’re a public figure, as Barr definitely is.
As stated by Barr’s ex husband Tom Arnold, she is obviously racist — something he has been warning everyone about it for years.
This is the same woman who posed as Hitler pulling gingerbread cookies of an oven for a photoshoot for a satirical Jewish magazine in 2009, and showed no true remorse over it.
She hasn’t even shown true remorse for this current controversy, opting to blame it on her medication instead. The fact that she has not taken responsibility for her statements proves that she does not truly feel sorry.
The one bright side in this controversy is that ABC may be working on a spinoff of the show without Barr, which would give fans the chance to watch the show without supporting her, and the cast would have the opportunity to work in a less hostile environment.
And, most importantly, it will show Roseanne and others sharing her mindset that it doesn’t pay to be racist.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo retrieved from Roseanne Official Facebook.