The ??? ??? ??social team at the New York Timesdefinitely seems to have a good handle on wringing engagement out of Twitter. Just ask angry Canadians.
In a Saturday tweet, the Timescalled the United States' northern neighbor a "sprawling, bone-chillingly cold country" that's lacking in "razzle dazzle." The paper's tweet asserts that potential new residents Meghan Markle and Prince Harry could bring the missing razzle dazzle.
You can't make this stuff up.
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For those who hadn't heard, the married British royals have made clear their intent to "step back" from their roles as senior members of the royal family. The same announcement made it clear that their new lifestyle will include a part-time residence in North America.
They didn't specify which part of North America they'd designate as their new (partial) home, but the revelation of their planned move got Canadian individuals, media sources, and even brands talking about how rad it would be to host the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Tim Hortons, a staple of Canadian fast-casual dining, even offered them "free coffee for life."
That's what the Timesreport linked above is all about. The problem is the tweet, which has riled up patriotic Canadians who feel that the country they call home merits a better description than "sprawling" and "bone-chillingly cold." Many of them also want it to be known that the country is doing just fine on the razzle dazzle front, thank you very much.
The responses ranged from openly angry to snarky sarcasm to plain, old jokes. It could've been a lot worse for the Times, as the paper that continues to provide gainful employment to op-ed writer Bret Stephens no doubt knows.
Still, it's easy to understand why some Canadians might take offense to the implication in the Timestweet. That could even be what the paper was going for, since internet clicks aren't measured by the emotional response of whoever's clicking.
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Others were quick to remind the paper that hey, Canadians are dealing with some fresh tragedies. So maybe characterizing this incredibly pop culture-centric news as a national conversation isn't just off-base, it's actively offensive.
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And of course, beloved Canadian and always-online jokester Ryan Reynolds had his own thoughts on the whole razzle dazzle situation.
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Sorry, NYT. Canada wins this round.