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Just because one boasts of their impressive library collection doesn't automatically make them an educated scholar, especially if they haven't read any of the books.
A gentleman known under the Twitter handle "The Righteous Pumpkin Trebuchet" attempted to mansplain Russian history, failed miserably and retreated to obscurity after being shut down by the historian he tried to lecture.
It all began when Katrina Gulliver responded to a Twitter thread in which a user by the name of "Marchella" encouraged people to educate themselves about "the follies of communism."
Marchella had been watching Netflix's The Last Czars and read Leo Tolstoy's literary masterpiece, War and Peace and was compelled to tweet:
"After watching the 'Last Czars' and reading 'War and Peace' it's so important to teach your kiddos of the follies of communism."
"You have the internet, research for yourself. For the love of God."
Gulliver asked Marchella what War and Peace – a novel about the French invasion of Russia that takes place during the Napoleonic Era – had to do with communism.
That's when "The Righteous Pumpkin Trebuchet" offered his unsolicited and uneducated response:
"The communist revolution."
On the off-chance the "Righteous Pumkin" didn't crack open Tolstoy's book, Gulliver explained the setting of the historical chronicle.
"'War and Peace' is set in the Napoleonic Wars. A century before the Bolsheviks."
She screenshot their entire exchange.
Still laughing at this. https://t.co/Ubypf13AWh— Katrina Gulliver (@Katrina Gulliver) 1562762201.0
The Righteous Pumpkin admitted he falsely assumed the book was about Russian history.
He replied:
"I'm gonna level with you; I have neither watched it or read the book."
"I assumed it was about the Russian revolution as it was written by Tolstoy, who was sort of into that kind of thing."
Gulliver resumed with the lesson.
"Tolstoy died in 1910. So he didn't live to see the Russian revolution, let alone be 'into it.'"
He humbly added that he will stick with what he knows.
"Russian history is not my forte. I will stick to the British/Roman/Greek history section of my personal library numbering 500+ books. Cheers."
And with that, the Righteous Pumpkin was no more.
How is this mansplaining?
Righteous Pumpkin knew he knew nothing about the subject, knew he had never read the book, but still felt compelled to "correct" the woman commenting on the thread.
That in a nutshell is mansplaining.
@katrinagulliver He’s deleted his account. I actually find his counting the number of books he has touching, give… https://t.co/gmn7UIoDX8— Reliant Scimitar (@Reliant Scimitar) 1562770909.0
@littleyoyo4 @chisoxfan30 @katrinagulliver He deleted himself too! https://t.co/9r92lruDhj— 🍓SoxyBerry🍓 (@🍓SoxyBerry🍓) 1562883167.0
@ScimitarReliant He also claimed to be doing a degree in philosophy though.— Katrina Gulliver (@Katrina Gulliver) 1562770985.0
The screenshot of his profile revealed the married Catholic had a way with women.
@andyffgibbons/Twitter
"#prolife married Catholic. Software Developer, and part-time student of Philosophy at Edinburgh University."
"Follow me, Ladies, you won't be disappointed."
How does his "wife" feel about that?
@andyffgibbons @katrinagulliver I could see his favorite come on line to women now: “Hey, babe, that ain’t my 500 b… https://t.co/QP0hsk8tZm— 614ortyNiner (@614ortyNiner) 1562772260.0
His need to weigh in about something he has no clue about speaks volumes about him.
At least more than his collection of 500 books.
@jelani9 Can he possibly be truthful about 500 books about Brit/Roman/Greece and not have at least a small dose of… https://t.co/IJbLszqQ8T— Adam Stone (@Adam Stone) 1562824837.0
@athompstone @jelani9 There are a shocking number of smart, knowledgeable people who somehow come to believe they a… https://t.co/LGRW6L2ya7— Sedary Raymaker (@Sedary Raymaker) 1562845234.0
@katrinagulliver Would never have guessed. https://t.co/NeHsfpWTnw— David Tuck (@David Tuck) 1562764764.0
The married software developer gave Twitter the dry heaves by promising ladies who follow him won't be disappointed.
@andyffgibbons @katrinagulliver "Follow me, Ladies" is precisely what Lenin shouted at the start of the Russian civil war.— Prorogued Kristian van der Vliet 🇬🇧🇳🇱🇪🇺 (@Prorogued Kristian van der Vliet 🇬🇧🇳🇱🇪🇺) 1562778370.0
@audreyii_fic @andyffgibbons @katrinagulliver Pro-life, catholic, adultery considered, apply within (me)— daniel handforth (@daniel handforth) 1562772219.0
I wouldn't know for sure but I suspect that when women advise one another to "Have the self-confidence of a mediocr… https://t.co/XERoe9SGpw— Larry Cebula (@Larry Cebula) 1562774525.0
Sure, he had a redemptive moment.
@katrinagulliver It is kind of refreshing in this day and age to see someone just take the L when called out instea… https://t.co/iwzRORCWFF— Sean Bilodeau (@Sean Bilodeau) 1562765880.0
But it was short lived.
People relentlessly roasted his mention of his extensive library.
@greg_jenner @katrinagulliver @spookyjulie I HAVE OVER 500 BOOKS https://t.co/yupgnfHS2p— Alistair Coleman (@Alistair Coleman) 1562879682.0
@alistaircoleman @digitalhen @greg_jenner @katrinagulliver @spookyjulie https://t.co/kxu15wRsU7— Ingeborg 🌺 (@Ingeborg 🌺) 1562999550.0
@jelani9 When he conceded there was something he didn’t know he had me on the ropes with a rare moment of (forced)… https://t.co/jdAbnhDO4M— Ray Suarez (@Ray Suarez) 1562851364.0
@athompstone @SedaryRaymaker @jelani9 Y'know, I'm continually amazed by the number of people on Twitter, who equate… https://t.co/kGrUdqMs7Z— 💧 Don Westley (@💧 Don Westley) 1562846842.0
@KatieGonzo @jelani9 Take out Dr. Seuss and pop ups and watchtower pamphlets, he’s got 4. All with overdue fines pending.— Craig Shouldice (@Craig Shouldice) 1562847619.0
@Raphaelite_Girl @jelani9 @lickedspoon “My library is bigger than yours.” “Well, my library has books about Kung F… https://t.co/68d3qPrpw6— Andrew (@Andrew) 1562833510.0
@haggerik @opusdeath @katrinagulliver One of them is the graphic novel "300."— Endgame Spoilers (@Endgame Spoilers) 1562767200.0
@kerambono @katrinagulliver @Popehat He's even finished colouring in a few of them, and found Waldo in one.— Patrick W. Reed (@Patrick W. Reed) 1562769463.0
Tolstoy began drafting War and Peace in 1863. The book spans between 1805 to 1820, 60 years before the Russian author's time and spoke with people who lived through the 1812 French invasion of Russia as research.
He also studied books, journals, biographies and auto-biographies about the Napoleonic Wars and incorporated his own experience in the Crimean War into the novel in which he aimed to blur the line between fiction and history.
The not-so Righteous Pumpkin was entirely wrong, morally questionable and has now inducted himself into the annals of internet shame.
Cheers.
The book War and Peace is available here in a clothbound hardcover edition or in paperback here.
Hollywood did not tackle War and Peace, but during the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union decided to create an epic film to rival anything the west could do. That film is available here, War and Peace The Criterion Collection.
In 2016, BBC Wales produced War and Peace as a miniseries, available here.