Before Sunday, The Onion wasn’t known for making news. At least not actual news. However, during the Oscars, The Onion’s Twitter feed sparked controversy that spread throughout the Internet for all the wrong reasons..
During the Academy Awards, the Onion’s official Twitter account tweeted: “Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a c*nt, right? #Oscars2013,” The tweet was soon deleted but the damage was done.
And though The Onion deleted the tweet shortly after posting it, plenty of users managed to get screen shots of the offending message.
“The Onion was tasteless for that tweet. It’s never okay to use that word towards anyone, especially someone's child,” one user wrote.
“Calling a 9 year old child a c-word in one of the biggest nights of her life was going too far even for the onion. Classless,” another echoed.
Some users even pledged to stop subscribing to The Onion’s Twitter feed.
“@TheOnion Unfollowing you. Your tweet about a 9-yr-old child was stunningly inappropriate. That's not satire or a joke. That's sick.”
The Onion’s tweet but the site is also known for pushing the boundaries with its satire and wit. It's a funny site, but jokes have their limits. Every now and then comedy is bound to go too far. It's an evitability. The Onion's tweet didn't seem malicious but it was also over the line as a result of the backlash, they issued a Facebook apology. With any luck, a self-deprecating website headline and story will soon follow.
