After intense blowback from his “fellow liberals” online, actor and director Mark Duplass (star of the TV series “Manhunt: Unabomber”) has issued an apology for a tweet in which he simply recommended to those interested in “crossing the aisle” to consider following Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro.
In a since-deleted tweet, Duplass wrote, “Fellow liberals: If you are interested at all in ‘crossing the aisle,’ you should consider following @benshapiro. I don’t agree with him on much, but he’s a genuine person who once helped me for no other reason than to be nice. He doesn’t bend the truth. His intentions are good.”
Here’s a screenshot of the original tweet one follower posted:
The outrage online from his “fellow liberals” was enough for Duplass to quickly delete the innocuous post and issue a retraction in which he felt compelled to defend himself from charges of endorsing “hatred, racism, homophobia, xenophobia” and all forms of “intolerance.” After apologizing profusely for the tweet, which he described as a “disaster on many levels,” he thanked those who offered “constructive criticism” and have helped him “learn so much” from the incident:
So that tweet was a disaster on many levels. I want to be clear that I in no way endorse hatred, racism, homophobia, xenophobia or any form of intolerance. My goal has always been to spread unity, understanding and kindness. But I am going to make mistakes along the way. Sometimes I move too quickly when I get excited, or fail to do enough research, or I don’t communicate myself clearly. I’m really sorry. I now understand that I need to be more diligent and careful. I’m working on that. But, I do believe deeply in bi-partisan understanding and I will continue to do my best to promote peace and decency in this world right now. That said, I hear you. I want to say thank you to those who reached out with constructive criticism. I have genuinely learned so much and wish everyone the best.
In response, Shapiro wrote, “So in 24 hours I apparently went from being a person with good intentions to a racist sexist bigot. Twitter toxifies any attempt to cross the aisle. There’s no conservative Mark could have recommended who wouldn’t receive the same blowback.”
The responses online to Duplass’ apology for attempting to promote “bi-partisan understanding” largely revolved around the growing intolerance of some of the most vocal on the left. For a sample, here are the first ten tweets responding to the actor’s retraction of his original, actually bi-partisan tweet:
Related: WATCH: Ben Shapiro Debates Bill Maher On Trump And Civility On The Left And Right
