Humorless Trolls Can't Handle Comedian's Viral Tweet About Giving Birth In Her Car
Comedian Beth Newell’s tweet goes viral after giving birth in the back of her car
Beth Newell is the very funny founder and editor of the always on-point website Reductress. She’s also a mom, and just two days ago she did the thing that you always joke about when pregnant but never actually expect to do: She gave birth in her car on the way to the hospital, like a mother-effing boss.
Beth, who also has a son, described her unexpected car birth to Scary Mommy. “The contractions weren’t as long or as intense as I was led to believe they should be when I should head to the hospital,” she told us. “My doula arrived just as we were getting off the phone with our midwife and decided it was time to leave. And just as she arrived my water broke and contractions got really intense. We only made it a few minutes down the road. I was so glad to have my doula in the back seat with me. And honestly I was so happy and relieved that the labor was over I didn’t care at all that it had happened in the car.”
After her daughter was born, Beth headed to the hospital in an ambulance where she and her new baby were given a clean bill of health. Then, she tweeted a photo of her and her brand new daughter in her car, and jokingly asked Honda for a new car. “I did not expect it to go viral,” she said. “And I definitely never considered that people would take the request so seriously.”
Did I mention Beth is a comedian who writes funny things for a living? I did? Well I’m mentioning it again. For while it is very obvious if you read her Twitter bio and/or her tweets, many internet trolls seemed to miss this fact, and instead responded to Beth’s photo in rage-y earnest, because internet trolls do not get the joke 110% of the time. They also seem to lack a complete understanding of how childbirth works.
Like this man, for example, who calls giving birth “dumb,” and seems to think women in labor should be able to hold a baby inside their bodies as if it were pee. (Pro-tip: we can’t.)
And this guy, who does not understand jokes and only understands outrage.
And yet another man who seems to think Beth’s request is genuine.
Here’s @Zoooooort, who uses this as an opportunity to mansplain how capitalism works.
This guy is also upset, because of course he is.
And this guy! So mad!
And a woman who uses this as an opportunity to critique Beth on her manners. Manners in a tweet intended as a joke.
And let’s not forget JoJo, who manages to both insult Beth and reveal that they have some interesting ideas about what giving birth entails.
But because good (almost) always wins over evil, most people who replied to Beth’s tweet offered congratulations and support. Even better: Honda reached out over Twitter, and the company has offered to clean the car, replace the back seat, and give them a loaner car while they do it.
Now that’s a hell of a birth story.