Meghan McCain receives the flak from John Oliver over hypocritical response to anti-Asian violence
It came in response to McCain's tweet which contradicted with her views about the Coronavirus expressed earlier
Since last week, a plethora of celebrities have been voicing their support, giving a rallying call in the espousal of Asian Americans in lieu of the growing wave of violence towards the communities which transpired into the recent shootings in Atlanta. HBO’s John Oliver pointed to one such celebrity during Sunday’s Last Week Tonight,ย Meghan McCain, who he says highlights how certain rhetoric has been “giving space” for violent sentiments to flourish.
This came after McCain tweeted a graphic that read, “Stop Asian Hate.” However, Oliver was quick to highlight a segment from The View, which is hosted by her and wherein she said she had no problem with then-President Donald Trump calling COVID-19 the “China virus” back in March 2020.
“I think if the left wants to focus on P.C. labeling this virus, it is a great way to get Trump re-elected,” McCain said in the resurfaced video. “I don’t have a problem with people calling it whatever they want. It’s a deadly virus that did originate in Wuhan.”
“Oh good! Meghan McCain doesn’t have a problem with it,” Oliver said on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, ” in his typical sarcastic tone and further added, “Listen not to the scores of Asian Americans telling everyone that the term is dangerous and offensive. Instead, gather around and take the word of a wealthy white woman who’s dressed like she’s about to lay off 47 people over Zoom.” (The ’47 people over Zoom’ was a jibe at her, apropos to BuzzFeed laying off 47 staffers from The Huffington Post after its acquisition.)
Coming to McCain’s recent tweet, Oliver said, “It’s a fine sentiment to throw up on Twitter after the fact,” but argued, “There has to be an understanding that saying, ‘I don’t have a problem with calling it the China virus’ is very much giving space for hate to grow.”
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— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 17, 2021
“Our long, ugly history of anti-Asian racism and the fact that it often peaks during times of crisis is the exact reason why, just last year, many were loudly warning that Trump calling COVID names like the ‘China virus’ was likely to lead to a rise in violence against people of Asian descent โ an argument that not everyone, at the time, seemed to find convincing,” he said.ย