Most twitterati lambasted feminist writer Clementine Ford after she tweeted that COVID-19 "isn't killing men fast enough". She tweeted this bold thought to thousands of her followers, commenting on the story of a woman who had to abandon her lucrative job in favor of her husband, who could not handle full-time parenting, labeling the man "absolutely pathetic".
Despite not feeling for the hero of the story, netizens slammed Ford for being way too brutal, stressing that no mistakes or failures can excuse such things to say. Having received the wave of disproval, Ford only went on to remark how "fragile" men are if they react like that.
Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing men fast enough.
— Clementine Ford 🧟♀️ (@clementine_ford) May 23, 2020
Some people felt personally attacked by the writer's harsh words.
This isn’t funny. Please delete it.
— Charlie Galvin (@cxarli) May 23, 2020
I’m over 60, overweight, and diagnosed with heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. If I get COVID-19, I’ll croak as quickly as you could wish.
It really is not funny.
Some noted that the tweet could be compared with racism, ableism and hate speech.
Clementine, is this a similar joke to: 'Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing black people fast enough' or 'Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing disabled people fast enough'or 'Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing health care workers fast enough'?
— Dr Pete Jones (@fatwhitebloke) May 23, 2020
I’ve supported your position so many times in the past, but this is an appalling thing to say.
— Marissa Kate (@DrMarissaKate) May 23, 2020
I note Clementines books increased in sales over the Covid period. People suggested it’s because we’re reading more at home. I suggested it was a direct link to the shortage of toilet paper.
— Adam Denniss (@adam_denniss) May 23, 2020
Some pointed out that while Ford was apparently standing with women, she ended up insulting both genders.
This take makes no sense if you actually read the article which takes both men and women far more seriously than your callous response does. Imagine wishing single-motherhood on a woman in a time of Covid. The irony of this tweet is that it’s anti men AND women.
— Chloé S. Valdary 📚 (@cvaldary) May 23, 2020
Another sad irony of the incident is that several studies that have been conducted globally have shown that men tend to actually die from COVID-19 more often, although the potential to overcome the disease is the same for both genders. According to research by University College London, based on the data collected on 206,128 patients, men were twice as likely to require intensive care, and 60 percent more likely to die after being infected wIth COVID-19.
Facing strong backlash, Ford deleted the tweet, apologizing in a subsequent series of tweets for not "framing her argument" clearly and describing her tweet as "poorly judged". It was noted by many, however, that she remained committed to her assertion.
THREAD: I’m a big enough person to admit when I’ve misjudged something. I still stand 100% behind my fury at men exploiting women’s unpaid labour (exacerbated by the global pandemic), but I’ve reconsidered my flippancy in discussing it. I’ve always maintained that the difference
— Clementine Ford 🧟♀️ (@clementine_ford) May 24, 2020
