In the face of the pandemic that's killed nearly 160 thousand Americans, commentators on television media outlets are appearing remotely from their homes to speak with television anchors.
This has given Americans a rare glance into the lives of some of these commentators—which books they read, what their kitchens look like, and how their homes are lit.
The @ratemyskyperoom Twitter account, created by Claude Taylor and Jessie Bahrey, has gone viral during this phenomenon by rating the rooms of media commentators, jokingly judging their decorations, their lighting, and their wall colors.
But a recent tweet from the account that was intended to be commemorative came off as crass.
The account attempted to commemorate the arrest of Anne Frank, whose diary documenting her life hiding from the Nazis has become a worldwide literary classic and a symbol of resistance in the face of fascism.
@ratemyskyperoom/Twitter
Because of the account's mostly humorous tweets, the tweet came off to some as a joke about the Holocaust.
its been deleted but @ratemyskyperoom tweeted this, uh, Holocaust joke for some reason https://t.co/UOtaqHL4Ku— Elliot Smilowitz (@Elliot Smilowitz) 1596568758.0
So we're done with that dumb room rater account now, right?— Stephen L. Miller (@Stephen L. Miller) 1596569127.0
never make lighthearted jokes about the Holocaust, @ratemyskyperoom. -10/10 https://t.co/7KrwZqLtT9— Siraj Hashmi (@Siraj Hashmi) 1596569147.0
The account stressed that the post was not intended as a joke.
@SmiloTweets It was certainly not to meant to be a joke but only to honor her memory. We regret if the post was misinterpreted.— Room Rater (@Room Rater) 1596569020.0
The clarification was met with mixed responses.
@ratemyskyperoom @SmiloTweets Badly done. Don’t do that “we apologize if misinterpreted” thing. That’s not an apolo… https://t.co/0qGcNMxp8P— Susan Wild (@Susan Wild) 1596577671.0
@ratemyskyperoom @SmiloTweets I didn't read it as a joke. I read it as a pause in the day to remember.— ღ..MidtownToronto MaskWearer..ღ (@ღ..MidtownToronto MaskWearer..ღ) 1596570140.0
@ratemyskyperoom @SmiloTweets How many people forgiving this tweet actually have generational trauma associated wit… https://t.co/AH9SZrxk1h— Jenn - Not the Jewish Spokesperson - חדוה, She/Her (@Jenn - Not the Jewish Spokesperson - חדוה, She/Her) 1596582053.0
@ratemyskyperoom @SmiloTweets I think because your account posts about 90% humor, you need to contextualise clearly… https://t.co/enRWH0xXgK— P Lo (@P Lo) 1596571481.0
@ratemyskyperoom @SmiloTweets It was a bad idea, full stop. Never make a meme or anything about the Holocaust. Ever.— grumpy and crotchety.MA-Ed (@grumpy and crotchety.MA-Ed) 1596577911.0
The account has since returned to its regularly scheduled programming.