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Stephen King Tweets 'Offensive' Disability Joke, Defends Himself in Second Tweet

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On Saturday, bestselling author Stephen King tweeted a “joke” about accessible parking spots, upsetting fans and those in the disability community. “Yo memo so lame it uses a handicapped space at the mall. #YoMemoJokes,” King tweeted.

King’s tweet was in reference to the “Nunes memo.” The classified memo, written by House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), was declassified Friday by President Trump after weeks of speculation as to its contents.

The four-page document alleges political bias by the FBI and the Justice Dept. against then-presidential candidate Trump’s campaign. At the center of the memo’s claims, Nunes accused the FBI of relying on opposition research paid for by the Democrats during the 2016 election to secure a secret surveillance warrant to wiretap the communications of former Trump advisor Carter Page.

But critics, largely Democrats and critics of the president, have seen the memo as a dud — with much of the memo’s claims having being reported by the media in recent months. These critiques ultimately spawning the #YoMemoJokes hashtag on Twitter. 

Twitter users were quick to point out King’s “offensive” tweet, telling the author his joke was not funny.

Other users defended King, stating he was mocking those who don’t have accessible parking passes but try to park in those spots anyway.

King replied to criticism of his tweet, adding, “As a person lamed since 1999 when hit by a car, I feel okay using the word.”

And, again, sparked criticism for his use of the word “lamed.”

Despite the controversy, others in the disability community applauded King, saying they have taken back terms like “crip” and “lame” to describe themselves, and do not take issue with his use of the word.

This isn’t the first time King has tweeted something that offended fans. Last year, after he was blocked on Twitter by Donald Trump, King tweeted that he “may have to kill [him]self,” prompting backlash from suicide and suicide loss survivors.

Originally published: February 3, 2018
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