Twitter As An Art Form In A Post-Truth World: Constructing A Free-Form Twitter Poem From Tweets

by NoahNo one has weaponized twitter or used it for unintended comedy stylings more than Herr Trumpf. At the same time, the tweets of the Twit-in-Chief, in total, are horrifying. The unintended consequence of twitter is that it can give the reader a good look at the character (or lack of). the intelligence (or lack of), and, maybe most important of all, the mental health status of the user.Herr Trumpf’s use of “the twitters,” as George W. Bush would probably call them, is somehow darkly inspiring. It has inspired me to wonder what kind of tweets might have been sent by various historical figures (both real and fictional), for better and for worse. You will recognize some of the tweets I have included as actual, real-life quotes. Some are not but could well be. The made-up hashtags add context and additional “nuance.”What if there was a centuries-old archive of the tweets of famous figures in history, real or fictional? Just imagine if virtually all we knew about a person of the past -- or of the present, for that matter -- came from one or two surviving tweets. Would you be more thoughtful before you hit "send"? Some can’t help themselves. Gee, it’s like someone could start an international incident if that someone was so wrapped up in themselves that they couldn’t comprehend the potential consequences of their words. Words do matter, no matter how few.Suppose Twitter had been around for, say, the last 2000 years or so; what might my theoretical library archive of tweets hold for historians? What might it say about us as a civilization? The possibilities that follow come to mind. I have arranged them in a form that I will call a Twitter Poem. With their strict limit to 140 characters, tweets are becoming a new art form, a haiku of the 21st century. Sometimes much meaning. Sometimes hidden in plain sight. So much is revealed.HENRY THE EIGHTHAnne Boleyn. Bad wife. Sad. Buys too many shoes. Sad. Off with her head. Yay! Hope next one better. #morewivesJULIUS CAESARStab all you want. It’s MY name they’ll remember losers. #thumbsupJOHN LENNONWar is over if you want it. Imagine. #imagineMUHAMMAD ALIFloat like a butterfly; sting like a bee. I am The Greatest. #thegreatestMADAME DEFARGEMany upper class deplorables. Need baskets. #BladeRICHARD NIXONMet Trump fella. More mental than me. Loser. Bad hair. #headcaseELEANOR ROOSEVELTNo one can make you feel inferior without your consent. #fightfascistsADOLF HITLERMake trains run on time. All they care about. #foolshahaJOSEPH STALINIt is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything. #electionfraudFRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELTThe only thing we have to fear is fear itself. #dayofinfamyWINSTON CHURCHILLThe best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. #itisjustacigarDEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZAre You Ready For Hillary? Do you like my new perm? #ArrogantasswipeGEORGE W. BUSHFool me me fool once aganifoolme can’t prezle pretzel #smirkfaceHERNAN CORTÉZIllegal? I got your illegals right here, señor, by the boatload. #cortezthekillerBARABBASCan’t believe they chose me. I thought I’d be the last one they’d go with, but ain’t gonna argue. See ya suckers. #dumbomassesRONALD REAGANThis sure is long movie. Tired of role. #affableturdJAMES COMEYMission Accomplished. #OwnedbyRudyGLEX LUTHORDamn. I shoulda thought up Trump. #crimeofcenturyAYN RANDThe question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. #believemememe GEORGE WALLACELove this Trump guy. Guess I was born too soon. #burnacrossVLADIMIR PUTINCan I pick ‘em or what? #puppetmasterNANCY REAGANJust say no. #nomeansnoGEORGE CARLINThink of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. #doomeddemocracy#

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