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Conservative NYT Columnist Bret Stephens Ridiculed for Biting Back After Being Called a ‘Bedbug’

Andy Towle August 27, 2019 Leave a Comment

Conservative New York Times columnist Bret Stephens was called a “bedbug” by an associate professor at George Washington University, but Stephens’ reaction to the apparent slur has sent the internet into a frenzy.

The bedbugs are a metaphor. The bedbugs are Bret Stephens. https://t.co/k4qo6QzIBW

— dave karpf (@davekarpf) August 26, 2019

Alright fine… here is the email: pic.twitter.com/A4E5I6CoB6

— dave karpf (@davekarpf) August 27, 2019

Stephens deactivated his Twitter account.

Some News pic.twitter.com/fyvP01Ns2e

— Yashar Ali 🐘 یاشار (@yashar) August 27, 2019

He also emailed Karpf, and copied Karpf’s university provost on the email. Karpf shared the exchange on Twitter. This set off a round of mockery from Twitter users who have been called much worse.

What must it be like to think being called a “bedbug” in a tweet merits an email to that author’s boss? If we women who are columnists shared some of our worst reader responses, we’d risk being banned from Twitter for making credible threats of violence. https://t.co/HMsjltea9l

— Connie Schultz (@ConnieSchultz) August 27, 2019

Bret Stephens freaks out that a professor mocked him by calling him a "bedbug" and tries to get the guy fired. I wish That's the worst I got called for my articles. Instead Ive literally had Trump loving Neo Nazis threaten to kill me for daring to criticize Trump. #ByeByeBret

— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) August 27, 2019
https://twitter.com/erinbiba/status/1166184705491918849

In the last 24 hours, I've had about a dozen messages from strangers calling me a "faggot" or some kind of transphobic language and that's fewer than usual.

Lots of women, LGBTQ folks, and/or folks of color on here get much worse.

Bret Stephens was unglued when called "bedbug".

— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) August 27, 2019

Bret Stephens, a guy who professionally laments "PC culture" and "safe spaces" is upset someone jokingly called him a bedbug on Twitter. https://t.co/GzUSTLtbej

— jordan (@JordanUhl) August 27, 2019

So let me get this straight.
You’re a columnist. Some non-fan calls you a name. You take the time to track down both the somebody and his boss to register your offense.
Wow.
If I did that, I’d never have time to do anything else. https://t.co/VqewPwIJkY

— Leonard Pitts, Jr. (@LeonardPittsJr1) August 27, 2019

Bret Stephens couldn't handle being a woman for two minutes. https://t.co/NTRiKHmgFg

— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) August 27, 2019

Said Karpf to the Washington Post: “He not only thinks I should be ashamed of what I wrote, he thinks that I should also get in trouble for it. That’s an abuse of his power.”

The WaPo adds that Stephens told them “he did not want to get Karpf in professional trouble” but that “managers should be aware of the way in which their people, their professors or journalists interact with the rest of the world.”

Stephens went on MSNBC to complain about being called a “bedbug,” called it “totalitarian” rhetoric that is “dehumanizing and totally unacceptable no matter where it comes from.”

Wow. A friend just sent this to me

Bret Stephens was asked about the Bedbug controversy on MSNBC by @ChrisJansing

Bret says he wasn’t trying to get @davekarpf in any professional trouble when he copied his provost on the email he sent him.

What? pic.twitter.com/xNckkEpHYN

— Yashar Ali 🐘 یاشار (@yashar) August 27, 2019

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