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Bette Midlersays she tweeted a racially insensitive message without thinking because she was angry after theFBI only “briefly” investigatedthesexual assault accusationsagainstSupreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
On Friday, the 72-year-old icon addressed criticism for tweeting, in part, “Women, are the n-word of the world'” — which she says is aYoko Onoquote from 1972. (That year, Ono, 85, and her husband, the lateJohn Lennon, made the same comparison in a song from their albumSome Time in New York City.)
On Thursday, theHocus Pocusstarwrote in the since-deleted tweet, “Women, are the n-word of the world.’ Raped, beaten, enslaved, married off, worked like dumb animals; denied education and inheritance; enduring the pain and danger of childbirth and life IN SILENCE for THOUSANDS of years They are the most disrespected creatures on earth.”
Bette Midler/Twitter
Immediately, critics called out that they believe her comment “erased the struggles” of black women and the separate systemic violence and oppression that people of color face.
In another since-deleted tweet, Midler wrote that she “never forgot” Ono’s statement from 1972, adding, “It rang true then, and it rings true today, whether you like it or not. This is not about race, this is about the status of women; THEIR HISTORY.”
Responding to Midler, Twitter users asserted that they thought the sentiment behind Ono’s quote was problematic in the first place.
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TheFBI investigationintoKavanaugh, 53, wrapped up on Thursday, and senators spent the day reviewing its findings. Some Republicans said they were satisfied with the report, while critics pointed out it was far from a complete investigation.
On Friday, the Senate voted 51-49 to advance Kavanaugh to a final confirmation vote, which should take place on Saturday.
source: people.com
