# SNL writer suspended indefinitely for Barron Trump tweet **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993 "2017-01-24T00:54:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/41 "2017-01-24T08:59:14Z")
Barron Trump’s father is a psychopath who will lie, cheat and steal to get ahead. At the impressionable age of 10, Barron lives in an “alternative facts” world where there are no consequences for anything. If he does not already have affluenza he’s certainly in active danger of catching it and he’d be better off being homeschooled by a pack of rabid syphilitic wolves because at least wolves are honest. Is this a kid who might someday think that violence is the right answer? Well, his father did proclaim loudly and publicly that he could openly commit murder in broad daylight (on 5th Ave in NYC) and not suffer for it. I wouldn’t trust father or son around a loaded weapon. Unfortunately they have access to them. All of them. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/42 "2017-01-24T09:08:53Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Btw to those that say this tweet wasn’t some sort of hint at a possible disability within Barron Trump; I think it certainly was a tweet about a possible mental disability in the kid. If a link doesn’t actually exist between spree killings and Autism the link probably does exist in popular culture and armchair psychology. Thanx. I was wondering what the discussion was about. Without context, I took it to mean that the kid was going to shoot his dad because the kid was going to grow up smart, educated, and left wing – not ideas that shouted “leave the kid alone”. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/43 "2017-01-24T09:20:21Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Barron Trump’s father is a psychopath who will lie, cheat and steal to get ahead. At the impressionable age of 10, Barron lives in an “alternative facts” world where there are no consequences for anything. If he does not already have affluenza he’s certainly in active danger of catching it and he’d be better off being homeschooled by a pack of rabid syphilitic wolves because at least wolves are honest. > > Is this a kid who might someday think that violence is the right answer? Well, his father did proclaim loudly and publicly that he could openly commit murder in broad daylight (on 5th Ave in NYC) and not suffer for it. I wouldn’t trust father or son around a loaded weapon. Unfortunately they have access to them. All of them. Absolutely preposterous. Trump, with the help of his wives and a variety of nannies, have all brought up a number of stable, fairly responsible children. The only factors that differ between Barron and Trump’s other kids is the input upon Barron of Melania and the fact that Trump is now President. All other indications show Trump has a pretty good record as a father and a pretty good batting average at choosing decent potential mothers for his offspring. And a decent record at employing competent nannies. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/44 "2017-01-24T09:40:53Z")
All that matters is that Barron is a child growing up in what must be an incredibly strange environment. There is no reason to bring him in to any political discussion. Take a step back and try to find some empathy. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/45 "2017-01-24T13:49:43Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Remember “they go low, we go high”? Stay high. K. And pass to your right. No, your _other_ right. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/46 "2017-01-24T14:06:12Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Please. They call them jokes.It was open season on Chelsea Clinton in the 90s. And it was wrong and mean to do that. “To quoque” is a logical fallacy. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/47 "2017-01-24T14:11:18Z")
> [@pool](#): > > I don’t think the Barron Trump tweet or fb post or whatever was too cool, but god damnit the Chris Farley bit as Guiliani’s son was comedy gold and pretty good natured. Agree, the Andrew Giuliani bit was not only mostly harmless, but also ten times funnier than the tweet about Barron Trump. > [@Miller](#): > > Yeah, and how’d that work out for us? > > Anyway, interesting to note that the writer’s pit at SNL has higher standards of professional behavior than the Oval Office. Now if only they’d raise their comedic standards to equal the Oval Office’s. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/48 "2017-01-24T14:25:07Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Can we make fun of his adult children though, like Donald Jr.? Is 18 the cutoff? (just to be clear) It’s still a free country. You can make fun of whoever you want. I think a decent person wouldn’t target any children of celebrities or politicians unless those children have made themselves public figures worthy of scrutiny. So, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric are fair game because they have all acted as mouthpieces for Donald Trump and have meaningful, if sometimes informal, roles in his administration and his businesses. His business are a source of conflicts of interest and are a matter of public concern. Barron is too young to have chosen any public role for himself, so leave him out of it. My impression is that Tiffany doesn’t seem to be much involved in either Trump’s business dealings or his campaign. I know she spoke at the Republican convention and perhaps a couple of campaign events, but that seems like simply supporting her father. Her complete absence from the campaign would have been a scandal so I can imagine she was pressured to do at least a few public appearances. If she is a private person who doesn’t choose to be in the public spotlight, we shouldn’t cast it upon her. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/49 "2017-01-24T14:32:28Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Actually, as I remember, as Chelsea’s parents became the first family, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey on their Wayne’s World segment on SNL made some mild references to Chelsea’s looks, i.e. “a babe in waiting”. Hillary immediately chided them, and most media agreed, so much so that “Leave Chelsea alone.” became a catchphrase for a brief period. The offending jokes were dropped from SNL rebroadcasts, and the most lampooning that Chelsea got after that was a cameo appearance in _Beavis and Butthead Do America_. > > It’s often mentioned that the Clintons did a extraordinary job of keeping Chelsea’s childhood in the White House fairly normal. What about the skit when the female host (was it Madonna?) sang “Happy Birthday Mr President” to Clinton (per Marylin Monroe’s famous serenade of Kennedy), and they had Chris Farley (or one of the overweight, male cast members) playing Chelsea. Was she an adult then? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/50 "2017-01-24T14:47:10Z")
I agree with the suspension, it was in poor taste and minor children should be off limits. Of course, all my right wing Facebook friends will spend the next four years whining about it and complaining that those of us on the left are tolerating it. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/51 "2017-01-24T14:55:03Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Can we make fun of his adult children though, like Donald Jr.? Is 18 the cutoff? (just to be clear) Not _just_ because they’re related, no. To the extent that they _personally earn_ scorn and ridicule (e.g. Uday’s and Qusay’s, er, Junior’s and Eric’s, complicity in the phony shell game offered as a substitute for actual separation of Trump’s business interests and public office), yes. _Edit:_ On rereading the last few posts, I see that **Tired and Cranky** pretty much set forth the same standard. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/52 "2017-01-24T16:55:13Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I agree with the suspension, it was in poor taste and minor children should be off limits. That brings up the separate question of whether social media posts on one’s own time should affect one’s employment. And the joke isn’t about Barron, it’s about his father. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/53 "2017-01-24T17:08:38Z")
I do not believe the tweet was asserting Donald Trump was going to become “The first home school shooter.” The joke was that Barron Trump would. The joke was therefore about him. You can try to spin it around by saying “yeah, well, the idea is Donald Trump would make his son…” Nope, sorry. It was referring specifically to Barron Trump and therefore was about him and to say otherwise is peddling an “alternative fact.” ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/54 "2017-01-24T17:45:12Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > That brings up the separate question of whether social media posts on one’s own time should affect one’s employment. > And the joke isn’t about Barron, it’s about his father. I daresay in any given week somebody somewhere is getting fired for something they said or did on their own time. I personally know someone who was fired from his job for putting out an insensitive tweet. That said, I’ll be surprised if Katie Rich ends up getting fired. She has issued what appears to be a sincere apology. A suspension of some length (a month?) and moving on with our lives seems appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/55 "2017-01-24T17:54:09Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > All that matters is that Barron is a child growing up in what must be an incredibly strange environment. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing seeing him at the inauguration. That kid is going to have a very weird life, and an experience of childhood that’s so completely unlike mine (and most people’s) in every way imaginable. Not that I feel sorry for him per se, as he already won the lotto being born into such wealth and power. But what a weird, awkward ride to be on nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/56 "2017-01-24T18:16:27Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > That brings up the separate question of whether social media posts on one’s own time should affect one’s employment. > And the joke isn’t about Barron, it’s about his father. The very fact that the story is about the SNL writer shows that what you do on your spare time does affect your employment. SNL is taking a hit for the controversy, they should expect their staff not to muddy their name. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/57 "2017-01-24T19:10:22Z")
Good. I was hoping there would be diversity on this matter, unlike other places where literally everyone is okay with this. I’m not a fan of the joke. I didn’t find it funny. I don’t really see the point if it’s some sort of satire. I however don’t think it’s fair to declare criticism off-limits while at the same time using Barron as a prop. That said, I would prefer the jokes that feature him actually be about those using him. Instead of calling him a serial killer, why not say they’re trying to turn him into one? I don’t think Barron deserves to be attacked, and I’d be okay with saying that is off limits. But I’m not okay with someone being fired before we decided this. Humor often involves people saying hateful things. If they apologize when they cross the line, they should at least get another chance. Humor is hard to keep PC, and you will cross the line. It’s the response when that happens that is relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/58 "2017-01-24T20:01:44Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I however don’t think it’s fair to declare criticism off-limits while at the same time using Barron as a prop. I disagree. All public figures to some extent use their children as props, but that’s their choice as parents. It’s one thing to complain about the **parent** ’s behavior in photo-opping with a child, but it’s not appropriate to respond by taunting or speculating about the children themselves. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/59 "2017-01-24T20:22:14Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I do not believe the tweet was asserting Donald Trump was going to become “The first home school shooter.” The joke was that Barron Trump would. The joke was therefore about him. You can try to spin it around by saying “yeah, well, the idea is Donald Trump would make his son…” Nope, sorry. It was referring specifically to Barron Trump and therefore was about him and to say otherwise is peddling an “alternative fact.” “Chelsea Clinton is a dog” is different from “With parents like that, Chelsea will become…” It’s no reflection on Barron at all. It’s taking “wow, it must be weird to grow up in that household” to an outrageous extreme. That’s what comedians are supposed to do. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993/60 "2017-01-24T20:34:12Z")
I thought the joke was funny. Not guffaw funny, just wry smile funny. Maybe even a small chuckle. But I also think political figures’ children should not be used as targets of ridicule. And when the Repubs stop doing it, I’ll feel bad about having laughed. But since that ain’t happening, Donnie can just suck it. He’s hurt a lot of people, so if this makes him feel bad, good. I’ll bet Barron is so isolated that he has never even heard the insult. Remember, this kid could conceivably grow up to be President!:eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-writer-suspended-indefinitely-for-barron-trump-tweet/777993.md?page=4)