It’s long past time for another in our wildly bacterial “Snort of the Day” series, something we probably don’t get around to often enough.
When Virginia Thrasher won gold in her air-rifle shooting event in Rio on Saturday — America’s first gold of the Games — Piers Morgan reacted predictably. (That is, he reacted like an especially prissy fourth-grade girl.)
He no doubt imagined it was clever to put out this tweet:
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
LEAST SURPRISING BREAKING NEWS EVER: America's 1st Olympic Gold Medal is for Shooting. #Thrasher
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) August 6, 2016
Matt Palumbo collected some reactions to the Morgan tweet for Allen B. West, pointing out the odds against Thrasher in the competitive field (i.e., the win actually was surprising), the fact that she was shooting pellets, and so forth. The overall tone of the reaction: indignation.
But really. What’s the problem here? Morgan’s tweet is a compliment. Sure, he says it like it’s a bad thing. But that’s because he’s a firearm hysteric. More balanced people don’t have to react on his wavelength.
Morgan may have intended it for evil, but reality intends it for good. Yes, Piers, Americans are good at shooting. You and your comfortable tuchus better hope things stay that way. We appreciate the compliment, and will pass it on to Ms. Thrasher.
