Congressional candidate Brianna Wu has attempted to cash in on the media’s coverage of GamerGate as one of its primary “victims.” Raising her profile from no-name mobile game developer to supposedly one of the gaming industry’s leading women, Brianna Wu is always quick to play up her struggles as a woman in tech.
Previously in the press for her fears of orbital bombardment from the moon, Brianna Wu has stepped into the limelight once again, this time to weigh in on the topic of mental healthcare in the United States. The irony is palpable.
“A few states about mental health, and why it’s so important to me to expand access when I’m in Congress: In any given year, 1 in 4 adults suffer from a diagnosable mental illness,” she wrote on Twitter. “Access to treatment helps in 70-90 percent of these cases.”
“Cost of untreated mental health to America is over $100 BILLION (emphasis is Wu’s) dollars including unemployment, unnecessary disability and substance abuse.”
So far, so good, right? Not so. Some of her followers took issue with her use of the term “unnecessary disability,” which they argued is a misnomer. Sensing her emotional detachment to the topic, they engaged with the Congressional candidate for Eastern Massachusetts, imploring her to use more relatable language.
“I really reacted to ‘unnecessary disability.’ Is there another word that better covers the concept? Maybe preventable?” Amelia Boli asked.
Wu’s response was terse. “I am using the language from the source I am citing,” replied Wu.
Like Boli, another user, Matthew Frederick, explained to her why he felt alienated by the term.
Eager to outdo her previous displays of obnoxiousness, Wu used Frederick’s concerns to launch into a tirade aggrandizing her own self-importance.
“Matthew, can I tell you what it’s like to be a moderately high profile woman? EVERYTHING you say or do is picked apart endlessly,” she said.
“Before I posted, had same thought. But knew someone would look at study and accuse me of intellectual dishonesty if I changed wording,” continued Wu. “So, it’s a calculation: How to get yelled at the least when stating ANYTHING in public. In this case, defaulted to journalism training.”
“Matthew, you should probably take a moment and reflect on your white male privlege [sic]. It leaves you relatively free of these concerns.”
Nothing says “connecting with your voters” like telling them they’re privileged for being of a certain gender and ethnicity for sharing their concerns about healthcare terminology.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.