New York City is preparing for its mayoral primary on June 22, where residents will rank their choices in a crowded field of Democratic candidates, the winner of which is almost certain to win the general election later this year.
The candidates recently had their final debate, in which one question asked what they would ban in New York City if given the opportunity. New York Post reporter Sam Raskin tweeted candidates' answers, and far-right media personality Ben Shapiro attempted to slam some of the candidates for their responses.
The answers ranged from unhealthy drinks to ATVs, but Shapiro pointed out a glaring omission: crime.
Notably, nobody said crimehttps://twitter.com/samraskinz/status/1405330191556263943\u00a0\u2026— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1624021513
Crime is, by definition, illegal, but as any Republican opposing basic gun law reform will tell you, bans don't completely eradicate violations.
Shapiro's calls for criminalizing crime were roundly mocked across social media.
Notably, crime is already illegal.\n\nThis intellectual powerhouse continues to impress.https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026— Nima Shirazi (@Nima Shirazi) 1624041983
Society when we make crime illegal https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/tR0GjgPQ3g— \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08Yakuza Ruined My Life\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08Yakuza Ruined My Life\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1624092595
"If only crime were illegal," laments area clown shoehttps://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026— andi zeisler (@andi zeisler) 1624041692
yo Ben Shapiro bro, for a guy who claims to hate socialism, you sure do love being publicly owned— Jeff Tiedrich (@Jeff Tiedrich) 1624049701
ben shapiro coming up with the idea of banning crime https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/XMtY7YEosz— fletcher \u15e2 (@fletcher \u15e2) 1624198244
Pretend I tweeted this 2 days ago https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/Oz0xDkqIQ0— Shane Emery (@Shane Emery) 1624215148
Some were so amazed by the idiocy displayed in the tweet, they couldn't believe it was real.
I was pretty positive this ridiculous tweet had to be a photoshopped spoof, but no, it's there on his timeline.\n\nThank you, Ben Shapiro, for being brave enough to demand we finally start banning crimes.pic.twitter.com/hoerVVQ6H6— Kevin M. Kruse (@Kevin M. Kruse) 1624039553
I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS REALhttps://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026— \u2b51 fin \u2b51 (@\u2b51 fin \u2b51) 1624285591
I AM IN DISBELIEF THAT THIS IS A REAL TWEET IM LOSING MY MINDhttps://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026— kelsey \ud83c\udf44 (@kelsey \ud83c\udf44) 1624074971
Some social media users took aim at Shapiro's intelligence, noting his frequent efforts to frame himself as an intellectual.
You just know @benshapiro wrote this with a smug self-satisfied grin on his face, thinking \u201cthis\u2019ll show them how smart I am, yes it will\u201dhttps://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026— Curtis Foster (@Curtis Foster) 1624233747
ben shapiro schooling us about how crime should be illegal https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/eNruwucroq— ava \ud83e\udec0 (@ava \ud83e\udec0) 1624065140
Ben Shapiro when he realized we could just ban crime https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1405874241514442754\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/xgoBghD3Pn— Definitely not a Coati (@Definitely not a Coati) 1624062621
This isn't the first time a Shapiro take has been excoriated by the internet. In 2017, Shapiro wondered why homeowners whose houses experience repeated flooding due to climate change don't just sell their homes. They responded with a resounding "Sell their homes to whom?"
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