Sarah Palin’s Kids: The Complete Lack of Online Self-Control Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree

Oh, the crazy Palins. If it isn’t crazy Sarah, it’s crazy Todd. And if it isn’t crazy Todd, it’s their crazy, dysfunctional kids. And so it was this week when Willow and Bristol Palin took to a teenager’s Facebook wall to protest his review of their mom’s TV show, “At Home With The Palins”.

Of course, it’s only right and proper that kids want to defend their mother even if, as is frequently the case with Palin, her words are generally indefensible (hell even Elizabeth Báthory probably got a mothers’ day card). But unfortunately, the language used in the Palin kids’ rebuke to the claim that “Sarah Palin’s Alaska, is failing so hard right now” was somewhat – shall we say – unfortunate.

“Haha your so gay,” posted Willow in response to the kid (identified only as ‘Tre’) “I have no idea who you are, But what I’ve seen pictures of, your disgusting … My sister had a kid and is still hot.”

For clarification, she added… “Tre stfu. Your such a faggot.”

Bristol, as the only proper-nouned one of the brood, showed slightly more mastery of grammar: “You’re running your mouth just to talk shit,” she insisted, before turning her fire on the crowd, telling a commenter “You’ll be as successful as my baby daddy, And actually I do work my ass off. I’ve been a single mom for the last two years.”

Oh, yeah, she went there.

But of course it was the “homophobic outburst” that really got the media excited. “Homophobic and profane slurs” was how the NY Daily News described the posts, while the Boston Globe characterised Willow Palins ’s words as a “homophobic, hateful Facebook rant.” The story was also picked up by CNN, MSNBC and even Fox News, the news channel on which mama Palin is a paid contributor. CNN in particular went to town on the story, wheeling out a succession of commentators to opine on the dangers of letting children use social media unsupervised, and how most teens don’t understand the difference between public and private.

These are all valid points, of course – and I’ve written before that today’s kids apparently have no comprehension of the damage they’re doing to their future selves when they post crap like this on social media. But what’s truly remarkable about the Palin kids going rogue on Facebook is how unremarkable it is.

For one thing, they’re kids – and kids using slurs like “gay” and faggot” isn’t news. That’s how kids talk; they shouldn’t, but they do, and they will until they’re about 18 and they start having openly gay friends and co-workers and grow out of it. More unremarkable though is the fact that Sarah Palin’s kids would feel it’s appropriate to use social media to turn on critics, using incendiary and ill-thought-out language. After all, kids learn from example.

Sarah Palin has been in public office since 1992, when Bristol was two years old and Willow was two years from being born. During that time both kids have had ample opportunity to learn how to behave in a world where your actions reflect on your family. And what lessons have they learned from their mother?

That name calling is wrong? Uh-uh…

“The lamestream media throughout our country…”Sarah Palin

Or the importance of disagreeing with dignity…

“How’s that Hopey-Changey Thing Working Out for Ya?”Sarah Palin (to Obama supporters)

Avoiding inflammatory rhetoric…

“Our opponent though is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.”Sarah Palin

Checking your spelling on Twitter…

‘”Refudiate,” “misunderestimate,” “wee-wee’d up.” English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!’ Sarah Palin (on Twitter)

Or how about thinking before you post something stupid on Facebook…

“The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.”Sarah Palin (on Facebook)

Yeah, one long series of strong messages from Sarah Palin to Willow and Bristol. Keep ramping up the social media idiocy, kids, and one day you too might become the darling of the frothing, racist tea-partying right.

You fucking betcha.