Japanese decluttering and life organization guru and author Marie Kondo has become a bit of a sensation with her Netflix series "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo", although she seems to face some criticism centered on her advice that people "ideally" keep less than thirty books and perhaps those who welcome the clutter in their life.
American political activist and author Barbara Ehrenreich, however, is taking some internet backlash after criticizing the Netflix show, its host, and apparently the future of the United States in general in a now deleted Tweet that reads “I will be convinced that America is not in decline only when our de-cluttering guru Marie Kondo learns to speak English."
I assume Barbara Ehrenreich will delete this racist/xenophobic tweet but let’s not forget that even otherwise “progressive” white folks have a huge capacity for racism. pic.twitter.com/s8BmMmFcBt
The initial Tweet was deleted after an understandable wave of responses from Twitter users slamming Ehrenreich's Tweet as shamelessly xenophobic and racist, but her attempt to clarify her comments seemed only to double down on her disdain for a Japanese person speaking Japanese and relying on a translator to communicate with an English-speaking audience.
I confess: I hate Marie Kondo because, aesthetically speaking, I’m on the side of clutter. As for her language: It’s OK with me that she doesn’t speak English to her huge American audience but it does suggest that America is in decline as a superpower.
Eventually, Ehrenreich says that the initial Tweets were a joke and attempt at "subtle humor", and while it's not unheard of for styles of humor to not translate well on Twitter, the overwhelming consensus was that: If was indeed a joke, it was in awful taste, and if it wasn't a joke--well, that speaks for itself.
Sorry to anyone offended by my tweet about Marie Kondo! Sometimes my attempts at subtle humor just don’t work.
Lol. If that's subtle humour, what's your unsubtle humour, just straight up racial slurs and the wonders of imperialism? If you're not gonna actually apologize, at least don't throw out half-assed nonpologies...
So when someone jokes that a Japanese woman not speaking English for Americans is a sign we're in decline, this drags up real, personal crap and historical implications. It's fine if Ehrenreich didn't realize, but this isn't just a Political Correctness Battle.
Japanese decluttering and life organization guru and author Marie Kondo has become a bit of a sensation with her Netflix series "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo", although she seems to face some criticism centered on her advice that people "ideally" keep less than thirty books and perhaps those who welcome the clutter in their life.
American political activist and author Barbara Ehrenreich, however, is taking some internet backlash after criticizing the Netflix show, its host, and apparently the future of the United States in general in a now deleted Tweet that reads “I will be convinced that America is not in decline only when our de-cluttering guru Marie Kondo learns to speak English."
The initial Tweet was deleted after an understandable wave of responses from Twitter users slamming Ehrenreich's Tweet as shamelessly xenophobic and racist, but her attempt to clarify her comments seemed only to double down on her disdain for a Japanese person speaking Japanese and relying on a translator to communicate with an English-speaking audience.
Eventually, Ehrenreich says that the initial Tweets were a joke and attempt at "subtle humor", and while it's not unheard of for styles of humor to not translate well on Twitter, the overwhelming consensus was that: If was indeed a joke, it was in awful taste, and if it wasn't a joke--well, that speaks for itself.
Like much discourse on Twitter, the conversation did not spark joy.