Ever catch the "Mean Tweets" segment on Jimmy Kimmel? It basically consists of celebrities reading out all the nasty shit that has been said about them on Twitter. Some people can get awfully creative in under 140 characters. Even President Obama recently did a stint on Kimmel.
It's meant to be amusing, and we are encouraged to laugh at the tweets because these are highly successful, often stunningly beautiful people, so it's understood that the comments are rooted in absurdity. And it's expected that these uber famous people will simply take the mean tweets in their stride since hey, they are uber famous, and not real people with real feelings.
But what happens when those tweets are not directed at accomplished, thick-skinned adults? The non-profit Canadian Safe School Network parodied Kimmel's formula, and the results were far from funny.
Regular teens read out things that have been tweeted to and about them. At first the 'laugh track' remains in situ, then the raw power of the words—increasingly hurtful—speaks for themselves.
The point of the video? Cyberbullying is no a laughing matter.
In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest that isn't funny to target celebrities, either. It's as if, simply by virtue of being in the public eye, they're somehow fair game for mass criticism and ridicule.
"Mean Tweets" sends the message that cleverly and publicly putting someone else down can be hilarious.
Sorry, Jimmy, but it's not cool, and it's not the first time his material misses the mark.
Suffice to say, this mama will take celebrity lip-synching battles over "Mean Tweets" any day of the week. Go Team Fallon!
Image Source: YouTube
Twitter for Beginners 
Printer-friendly version