The Praise for ABC's Cancellation of Roseanne Could Not Be Less Deserved
Wowow, what a day! In a matter of hours, Roseanne Barr said something extremely racist on Twitter; a lot of people tried to not use the word “racist” to describe what Barr said; Wanda Sykes quit Roseanne; someone clearly didn’t know who Wanda Sykes was; and finally, ABC cancelled Roseanne because everything I just mentioned. In a statement, ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey, who greenlit the reboot in pursuit of the elusive post-election Rust Belt demographic, said:
Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.
But this isn’t over. Nay, I regret to say, it has only just begun.
Barr’s tweet was vile, and the cancellation of her show is a both an apt punishment and a big deal considering it was “the highest-rated and most-watched series of the broadcast season.” But people are getting a little carried away with what largely seems to be symbolism. Social media has been flooded with jubilation over the cancellation of Roseanne, as if it was a spiritual proxy for the impeachment of President Donald Trump himself.