On Saturday, comedian Patton Oswalt mocked protesters angered by the economic hardships brought on by the prolonged lockdowns, comparing them to famed Holocaust victim Anne Frank.
“Anne Frank spent 2 years hiding in an attic and we’ve been home for just over a month with Netflix, food delivery & video games and there are people risking viral death by storming state capital buildings & screaming, ‘Open Fuddruckers!'” the comedian tweeted.
Anne Frank spent 2 years hiding in an attic and we’ve been home for just over a month with Netflix, food delivery & video games and there are people risking viral death by storming state capital buildings & screaming, “Open Fuddruckers!”
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) April 18, 2020
Given Patton Oswalt’s wealth and success, Twitter users trolled the comedian for being insensitive in the face of people’s economic hardships.
“Not everyone can afford Netflix, food delivery & video games due to the economic shutdown…,” tweeted Joey Saladino.
“‘Let them eat kale!’ laughed the rich comedian,” tweeted Bridget Phetasy.
“Roughly 22 million Americans are out of work,” tweeted one user. “There are news reports of miles-long lines of cars at food distribution centers. People aren’t asking for restrictions to be lifted so they can go to Fuddruckers, they are doing so b/c they want to earn money to eat.”
“This is extremely elitist, many of these people are out of work and on their last leg,” tweeted another. “Yes, if you are part of the lucky few who are able to work from home or have jobs that are essential it seems this easy. Millions of Americans are struggling right now… come on Patton!”
“The wealthy comedian would like you to know that he and Anne Frank are morally superior to the ignorant and tasteless peasants who want their jobs and businesses back,” tweeted another.
Despite the blowback, Patton Oswalt did have his share of defenders, many of whom denounced the protesters as being selfish in the face of a pandemic.
“These are people that are screaming that staying home to avoid us all dying in a pandemic is ‘totalitarian control’ & ‘infringing on their rights’ & carry signs decrying not being able to go to the salon or beach or shit. They are not economic freedom fighters,” tweeted one defender of Oswalt.
“To the people shouting ‘but the economy’ and ‘what about the unemployment’ … Please be mad at wage gaps that cause people to operate on such razor-thin margins that missing two paychecks causes a survival crisis,” tweeted another. “People shouldn’t have to choose between safety and security. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
A feud later erupted between Oswalt and Fox News host Greg Gutfeld as the two traded grating insults.
“Rich fat guy sitting on a mountain of cash tells you jackasses to suck it up,” tweeted Gutfeld.
“Even richer a**-faced failed comedian who’s reduced to being the ‘wacky guy’ on geriatric GOP propaganda network would like to explain the nuance of ‘ironic swastikas’ to you,” responded Oswalt.
Even richer ass-faced failed comedian who’s reduced to being the “wacky guy” on geriatric GOP propaganda network would like to explain the nuance of “ironic swastikas” to you pic.twitter.com/qPfm8jicNK
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) April 18, 2020
Last week, President Trump released guidelines for reopening America, giving governors the green light to open up before the May 1 deadline.
As noted by CNBC, nearly all economic gains since the 2008 housing crash have been wiped out by the pandemic, with nearly 22 million Americans filing for unemployment in the last month. This past week, the $349 billion SBA loan fund for small businesses passed with the COVID-19 stimulus package ran out of money. Republicans and Democrats have since been debating how to replenish it.