Roseannanon

Guess what, America? I GOT THE INTERNET AT MY HOUSE. That's fuckin right, now I don't have to update 3B in secret while I'm supposed to be working. I have had so many adventures/great ideas that I have meaning to blog about but keep forgetting to so AT LAST you'll be able to hear about them!

But before I get to the laughs, levity, and good times that you're so accustomed to I need to take a moment to talk to you all about some very serious business. I'm talking about Roseanne Barr.

Right off the bat, I want to be clear: I LOVE ROSEANNE. She's hilarious and crazy which are two of my favorite things a person can be. She is especially wonderful on Twitter, where she retweets somebody named RAW_Vegan a lot and talks endlessly about Monsanto, banks, and the things she would do if/when she's the President.

But here's the thing: Her brand of crazy is not always fun. It's not like Courtney Love or even Amanda Bynes. It's slightly more tempered but often results in her tweeting "Your Mother's a Whore" at people who don't agree with her 100% of the time. I could totally be okay with that under normal circumstances but during a recent Twitter feud Roseanne was having with Lindy West, a blogger for "feminist" site Jezebel, a friend of mine was pulled into the drama and, I'm sad to say, she has suffered the consequences of Roseanne's wrath.

My friend Katie Ryan, who you all may know from one of her many television appearances including her Emmy-nominated role as Cousin Greta from season two of Step by Step, Emma Winter from the short-lived ABC Family series The Garden Blooms, and Comedy Central's Roast of Paul Reiser, was at one point a strong supporter of Roseanne's shenanigans (Roseannagins?). She and I would marvel at Roseanne's insights into such heavy topics as poverty, bio-engineering, government corruption, and what Darlene is up to nowadays. We found inspiration in her strength and courage as we witnessed her standing up to those who would criticize her by accusing them of being rapists and/or pedophiles. Roseanne alone had the strength to come out against the masses and say, loudly and proudly, that George Zimmerman was guilty of murder.

Then, one day, Lindy West came onto the scene. She had appeared on some tv or internet show that I can't remember the name of because it doesn't start with "The Real Housewives of..." to discuss rape jokes. Lindy was basically saying that comedians have a right to tell rape jokes BUT non-horrible people have the right to criticize them for doing so. It seems reasonable to me, but I'm not anywhere near Roseanne's level of social consciousness. What Roseanne got out of Lindy's opinion was: CENSORSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!1! Roseanne took to Twitter (where she lives) to tell Lindy to gtfo.

Roseanne's not into censorship, people. NOT EVER. Unless we're talking about censoring internet comments on Jezebel, in which case she's really into it. It's a difficult logic to follow, but then again, I can't pretend to understand the inner workings of any true genius' brain. Katie, being a fan of both Roseanne and Lindy, was fascinated by the thoughtful dialogue that was going on between Roseanne and Lindy on Twitter. She sent out a tweet saying as much, and what do you think happened?

SHE WAS BLOCKED BY ROSEANNE.

Devastated, Katie called me to see if I could talk any sense into Roseanne. Fearful of meeting a similar fate, I declined to get involved. Katie knew the risks in tweeting anything at Roseanne. Now it was time to deal with the consequences.

But then Katie did some research. As it turns out, being blocked by Roseanne is a startlingly common occurrence. Katie figured out that nearly 1/3 of American Twitter users will be blocked and/or verbally assaulted by Roseanne this year alone. These truly astonishing findings shook Katie to her very core. If this could happen to her, a well-adjusted young actress with a strong dedication to justice, just imagine the impact being blocked by Roseanne could have on, for example, LGBTQ youth, homeless veterans, or any of a number of at-risk groups. It was with those concerns that Katie founded Roseannanon, the country's first and largest blocked-by-Roseanne-on-Twitter support network.

Roseannanon was initially started as a support group for those who have been blocked by Roseanne on Twitter but in the weeks since it was founded it has grown into a national organization with community outreach, advocacy, and a variety of counseling services. It is through Roseannanon that those who have suffered in their inability to read Roseanne's 823 tweets a day have found healing and support from others who have shared similar experiences.

"It's not just about the sense of loss those of us who've been blocked experience." says Katie, "It's about life after Roseanne. It's about finding a way to move forward. It's about healing and hope."