There’s almost nothing funnier than when conservatives have to face the consequences of their own hate. The latest example of “be careful what you wish for” (when your wishes are trash) comes from infamous commentator and fired Fox News personality Bill O’Reilly. And book bans.
“A Florida county removes my books ‘Killing Jesus’ and ‘Killing Reagan’ from school libraries,” an outraged O’Reilly recently posted to Twitter/X. “Preposterous! We are investigating and are seeking comment from @GovRonDeSantis. This will not stand.”
I am laughing, I can’t lie. O’Reilly had previously supported the Florida legislation restricting access to books, back when it was targeting marginalized groups. The books pulled from shelves and placed under review were largely those centered on things like Black history and stories of Black people, the LGBTQ+ community, and others who have been oppressed by America’s socio-political structures.
But when that agenda of hate and bigotry gets turned back on them? Oh boy, do they get mad!
“When DeSantis signed the book law, I supported the theme because there was abuse going on in Florida. There were far-left progressive people trying to impose an agenda on children, there’s no doubt about it. And the state has an obligation to protect children,” O’Reilly told Newsweek, adding, “But the wording of the law was far too nebulous in Tallahassee.”
Yes! The vagueness of the language was always the point, to catch as many books up in that net as possible. And now O’Reilly’s own books are under attack. Whoopsies! He is mad that people may be offended by his works (as if he even writes them himself … ) because people like him never expected to have their actions impact white men, let alone themselves personally.
Book bans ate my face
The whole thing is a perfect example of the “leopards ate my face” phenomenon. For the unfamiliar, in 2016, following the Brexit vote, author Adrian Bott tweeted “‘I never thought leopards would eat MY face,’ sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party.” That viral tweet was quickly solidified as a shorthand for people suffering the consequences of policies they actively supported as it applied to other people.
Two of O’Reilly’s books—Killing Jesus: A History, and Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency—have been removed from shelves in the Escambia County School District. They’re not permanently banned, but they’ve been placed under review in accordance with the law that seeks to remove books and other materials “alleged to contain pornography or obscene depictions of sexual conduct” from Florida schools.
Bill O’Reilly and other prominent conservatives want to censor others for vague and sinister reason, while insisting their stories and ideas inherently deserve to be heard and read no matter what. If Florida is going to keep this terrible law on the books, I at least hope the board upholds the ban on O’Reilly’s books so he can suffer the effects of Republicans’ ridiculous policies.
(featured image: Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images)
