William Shatner has recently been called out by Salon, Gizmodo, Vice and other online news sources
after a long-running Twitter feud. Despite making it clear from his Twitter profile that he doesn't want to
turn his social media forum political, an outcry resulted after his use of terms like snowflake and
misandry have led to his being branded a closeted alt-right Trump supporter. Shatner himself would
have little to gain or lose by supporting the US president considering his standing as a Canadian citizen,
but that hasn't stopped the rumors from rolling in. Oddly enough, the mention of months of
harassment, intimidation and even death threats Shatner has dealt with from frenzied fans of the TV
Show "Outlander" has been left out of the majority of the press coverage.
Super-shippers and death threats:
Fans of the "Outlander" series have been gunning for the on screen chemistry of main characters Sam
Heughen and Caitriona Balfe to extend to their off screen lives. Despite months of explanation that they
were, in fact, in committed relationships with other people, the "super-shippers" would not leave Sam
and Cait alone. Shatner, a friend of both of the beleaguered stars, attempted to step in and help but
only got caught in the crossfire of an, as of yet, still raging online flame war that has culminated in
ceaseless harassment through social media and death threats sent to his PR manager once the "super-
shippers" got it in their head that she was secretly dating Sam.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My PR woman got a deaththreat b/c someone thought she was dating Sam.
Months of buildup from the "super-shipper" trolls and an unfortunate incident where he was called out
by "Social Justice Warriors" (colloquially known as SJWs) for attempting to raise money for an Autism
Awareness charity (as opposed to Autism Acceptance) could also be a factor in Shatner's change in
demeanor.Shatner has been a classic "tough guy" for years from his appearance as Captain Kirk to his
popular appearance as right wing attorney Denny Crane in "Boston Legal".
Despite this, he also bears an important part in the history of "social justice" in a sense, having been part
of the first interracial kiss on television during his stint helming the Starship Enterprise on the original
#StarTrek. Salon suggests that he may "erase his Star Trek legacy" with his current behavior. As for
whether or not this attempted self-fulfilling prophecy will come to be, only time will tell. One thing is for
sure, it seems the "Evil Captain Kirk" from the 80's Saturday Night Live skit is back with similar advice for
over-zealous "Outlander" fans: "Get a life!"
Source:
http://www.inquisitr.com/opinion/4403846/william-shatner-under-attack-after-bucking-sjws/
