New York Times writer Bari Weiss is backtracking after stirring up a firestorm with an ill-advised tweet about American figure skater Mirai Nagasu.
Nagasu stole the show at the PyeongChang Games by pulling off an ultra-rare triple axel in the women’s team free skate (and helping the U.S. team to a bronze-medal finish with her efforts). In reaction, the op-ed writer Weiss posted a tweet on Monday that read, “Immigrants: they get the job done.”
Honestly stunned pic.twitter.com/mDHOhe3eYN
— David Klion (@DavidKlion) February 12, 2018
The problem? While Nagasu’s parents are both Japanese immigrants, she herself was born in Montebello, Calif. and raised in nearby Arcadia.
After receiving considerable backlash for the ignorant remark, Weiss claimed that she was simply referencing the smash hit musical “Hamilton” before announcing that she was deleting the tweet because of the response.
Do you need another sign of civilization's end? Here's one: I tweeted "Immigrants: we get the job done" with a video of Mirai Nagasu's triple axel. The line is a Hamilton reference. I know she was born in Cali. Her parents are immigrants. I was celebrating her and them. (1/2)
— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) February 12, 2018
For this tweet I am being told I am a racist, a ghoul and that I deserve to die. So I deleted the tweet. That's where we are.
— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) February 12, 2018
While Weiss’ tweet and subsequent justifications were a shame, they definitely will not be able to take away from the magnificence of Nagasu’s performance.
