Comedian, songwriter, and actress Bette Midler recently posted a tweet that has caused an uproar among fans and critics alike. "Women are the n-word of the world," she wrote. "Raped, beaten, enslaved, 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."
The Internet was quick to point out the dangerously limiting scope that her tweet bore, providing her a much-needed fact check. “Fact: Many white women-owned/abused slaves right along with their husbands. Ever seen a lynching picture? Guess what you don't see: White women crying. Respect American History,” one Twitter user shared. Ohio State senator Nina Turner responded to Midler's tweet with, "I see you have decided to double-down on this insensitive, ridiculous madness. Your arrogance and deliberate disregard for the experiences of Black women and by extension The Black community as a whole is breath-taking. Your privilege is showing!".
Midler quickly deleted her tweet and wrote a second one defending herself, “I gather I have offended many by my last tweet," she wrote. "'Women are the…etc’ is a quote from Yoko Ono from 1972, which I never forgot,” she continued. “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.” She has since gone on to apologize once more, expressing that the source of her misinformed tweet was the frustration she felt about the outcome of the investigation into sexual assault allegations brought against supreme court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.
