Last week, former Playboy Playmate, recently appointed co-host of the ABC-TV (USA) show, the View, and anti-science/antivaccination rabble rouser Jenny McCarthy, decided to head to Twitter to get relationship advice. Not sure what she expected, and maybe she’s much more clever than we think by making this a trending topic, but it started rather quietly:
What is the most important personality trait you look for in a mate? Reply using #JennyAsks
— Jenny McCarthy (@JennyMcCarthy) March 13, 2014
A hurricane of replies flew across Twitter (much of the evening I was retweeting the best ones, or just laughing). As one Tweeter remarked, “this is why the internet was invented.” Yup. Maybe Jenny didn’t know what she was doing?
If you haven’t ventured over to the hijacked #jennyasks (Jenny McCarthy) hashtag, I suggest you do it. This is why the internet was invented
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownM2) March 17, 2014
Here are my favorites, and ones I haven’t seen on other articles.
@JennyMcCarthy Someone I can hold hands with while getting our flu shots #JennyAsks
— Andrea (@_CoveredInRain) March 15, 2014
My ideal mate is someone who isn’t a complete menace to public health. #antivax #ecigarettes #JennyAsks
— molly green (@MissyInDC) March 18, 2014
Someone who, when coughing, I can be pretty certain does not have Whooping Cough (Pertussis)…because he was vaccinated. #JennyAsks
— Ranit Mishori MD MHS (@ranitmd) March 18, 2014
#JennyAsks Someone who doesn’t actively harm society by using their celebrity status to spread false information about important medicine
— Kevin Major (@kevinmajor1) March 18, 2014
#JennyAsks Someone who understands that “peer reviewed” research doesn’t include your anti-vac mommy group and google searches.
— Tony O’Snark (@Anti_twatwaffle) March 18, 2014
#JennyAsks, perfect mate?Someone who doesn’t endanger vulnerable populations with perfectly preventable plagues.
— nicole (@twin336) March 18, 2014
Hysterical. A nerdy reference:
Ideal Mate is a Movie Lover: Contagion, Andromeda Strain, Outbreak, 12 Monkeys, 28 Days Later, Last Man on Earth, Quarantine #JennyAsks
— Douglas Morse (@DougMorse) March 18, 2014
I like my mate immune to measles. Who can resist a girl who isn’t spewing contaminated fluids? #JennyAsks
— Evil Librarian (@evil_librarian) March 18, 2014
Some who knows plural of anecdote ain’t data. MT @JennyMcCarthy: Most important personality trait you look for in mate? Reply w/ #JennyAsks
— Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin) March 15, 2014
I like my men like I like my dogs… up to date on all their shots! #jennyasks
— Rebecca Knapp (@therebeccaknapp) March 15, 2014
One who doesn’t take med advice from a washed up PB bunny who singlehandedly has potentially harmed more kids than autism #JennyAsks
— Kelly Hicks (@kellydean77) March 16, 2014
Hey @JennyMcCarthy, how is #JennyAsks going? Me, I like a mate who likes horror films. Just not the ones where everyone dies of measles.
— Sir Brian (@Brian_Ofthelost) March 18, 2014
Someone who knows that measles and smallpox never got their fair chance to wipe out humanity, and wants to help them out. #JennyAsks
— Larry (@senatorlarry) March 18, 2014
#JennyAsks Jenny refuses to vaccinate her child, moved to NY for crappy talk show now there’s a major measles outbreak in NY. Coincidence?
— Nicola Suntine (@NicolaSuntine) March 18, 2014
There were so many more I could have used, but laughing that hard for so long can wear a person out. I did a rough estimate of pro-vaccine to anti-vaccine Tweets for #JennyAsks, and it was around 100-200:1. So, you can conclude that either most Twitter users who follow hashtags are pro-science/pro-vaccine, or anti-vaxxers have limited access to computers and Twitter, since they’re living off the grid avoiding the evil Jews trying to vaccinate them. Oh yeah, that’s a thing amongst the antivaccination crowd.
A few months ago, I got into a discussion with writer and brand new mother Tara Haelle, claiming that social media wasn’t very useful in changing the society’s views on topics. I was skeptical that massive “protests” on Twitter or Facebook would move the body politic on any issues. Apparently, I was wrong. Because Jenny’s hashtag was completely and utterly hijacked by the pro-science/pro-vaccine world.
By the way, I added my own tweet to #JennyAsks a few days ago:
My perfect mate wouldn’t have a website dedicated to the children who died because of her lies. #jennyasks http://t.co/sWPN2A5CLK
— SkepticalRaptor (@skepticalraptor) March 15, 2014
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