How 'Roseanne' Divides the Left
Last week, ABC’s reboot of the television sitcom Roseanne generated spectacular ratings, and heated conversation about its title character’s support for President Trump, a political stance shared by the show’s talented creator, Roseanne Barr.
Nowhere were participants more divided than on the left. Two women, themselves creative powerhouses, illustrate that fissure.
Comedian Sarah Silverman “loved” the show. On Twitter, she praised its portrayal of the angst that disagreements about politics can produce within families, as well as a plot line featuring a grandchild of Roseanne and Dan Conner who does not conform to traditional gender roles. The way Roseanne shows grandparents “resisting/then learning/then accepting stuff that’s unfamiliar & therefore scary 2 them,” she tweeted, is “how change happens.”
Silverman acknowledged that Barr has tweeted material that she finds offensive and wrongheaded, but she added that “the show is more than her,” and explained, “I like that Trumpers will watch and embrace it because it’s secretly liberal
