Conservative New York Times columnist Bret Stephens was called a “bedbug” by an associate professor at George Washington University, but Stephens’ reaction to the apparent slur has sent the internet into a frenzy.
Stephens deactivated his Twitter account.
He also emailed Karpf, and copied Karpf’s university provost on the email. Karpf shared the exchange on Twitter. This set off a round of mockery from Twitter users who have been called much worse.
Said Karpf to the Washington Post: “He not only thinks I should be ashamed of what I wrote, he thinks that I should also get in trouble for it. That’s an abuse of his power.”
The WaPo adds that Stephens told them “he did not want to get Karpf in professional trouble” but that “managers should be aware of the way in which their people, their professors or journalists interact with the rest of the world.”
Stephens went on MSNBC to complain about being called a “bedbug,” called it “totalitarian” rhetoric that is “dehumanizing and totally unacceptable no matter where it comes from.”
