Cancel Culture is back it again, and this time, ABC Network is under fire for airing an ad, showing a photo of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bursting into flames.
The hashtag #BoycottABC was trending on Twitter after the network aired the controversial ad during the Democratic primary debate Thursday night.
The ad sparked outrage online as Twitter users were in utter disbelief that the network would allow for such a distasteful and hateful ad to run.
Following the hashtag #BoycottABC came the hashtag #BoycottSinclair against Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns ABC affiliate stations. Twitter users claimed that Sinclair owned ABC affiliate stations are actually the only ABC stations that aired the ad and suggested people boycott Sinclair Broadcasting instead.
One Twitter user wrote, “Setting a picture of a political opponent on fire in a commercial shown on national television. How it this implied violence not a terrorist threat #BoycottABC”.
While another wrote, “For everyone jumping on #BoycottABC for last night’s heinous ad equating AOC to Cambodian genocide – the ad ran only on Sinclair-owned affiliates. It wasn’t a network controlled buy. Sinclair is owned by right-wing nutjobs. #BOYCOTTSINCLAIR would be the correct hashtag”.
According to the New York Times, a Republican political action committee by the name of ‘New Faces GOP’ paid for the provocative advertisement. On its website, the group states that its mission is to “help elevate the next generation of Republicans,” adding that they need more diverse candidates in the party.
In response, AOC said, GOP’s message: No policy, no facts, just displays of violence + corporations like @ABCNetwork & Sinclair who amplify them. They profit from burning my likeness on TV. But who pays for heightened security? Who answers the phones for the threats resulting from a violent, false ad?”
GOP’s message: No policy, no facts, just displays of violence + corporations like @ABCNetwork & Sinclair who amplify them.
They profit from burning my likeness on TV. But who pays for heightened security? Who answers the phones for the threats resulting from a violent, false ad? https://t.co/Gr1XhEbwDC
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 13, 2019
