Image by Getty

Roseanne Barr, once a groundbreaking symbol of what it meant to be a real, working-class woman onscreen, continues on her ill-fated mission to make all of her one-time fans feel like they have no choice but to despise her.

The most recent snafu occurred on Twitter. “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” tweeted Barr. She was attacking Obama-era White House adviser Valerie Jarett. She followed that up with a tweet about how Muslims are not a race. She then followed that up with a declaration of her intent to leave Twitter.

I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter.

— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018

Like most celebrities, she’ll likely be back in a few days. Did Barr’s racially charged tweets qualify as hate speech, by Twitter’s often confusing standards? Has Barr finally realized the error of her ways? Or has she realized the blurring of the boundaries between celebrity and civilian are getting too blurred on the great equalizer of Twitter, allowing outraged plebians to crowd up her mentions?

Who knows? All we know is that it gives us regular folk a brief respite from getting outraged about the tarnished legacy of a Jewish comedy icon. The tweets have since been deleted. Barr’s reps did not respond to a request for comment.

Shira Feder writes. She’s at [email protected]

I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?

Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.

I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.

The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.

That’s why I’m paying it Forward. I’ve offered a $36,000 matching gift as an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, and I hope you’ll take me up on my offer to double your gift.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Will you support our work today?

— Joel Brown, Forward board chair

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT