Reporter Mocks Bourdain Suicide in Disturbing Tweet: 'Special Place In Hell'
A freelance writer whose byline has appeared at CBS News, AXS and the Examiner, among others, has come under fire after a tweet claiming the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain is in hell for his actions.
David Leavitt (no, not the novelist, for those of you wondering) has written about video games, tech, fashion and travel, according to his Twitter profile.
His twitter account is more of a political one (his header image shows that Donald Trump’s account has blocked him, apparently a badge of pride), but his statements Friday took on more of a personal nature.
Leavitt made his remarks shortly after the death of Anthony Bourdain, the CNN food and travel host who committed suicide at the age of 61.
If you’re religious, then you believe there’s a special place in hell or purgatory for people like Anthony Bourdain who take their own lives.
— David Leavitt 🎲🎮🧙♂️🌈 (@David_Leavitt) June 8, 2018
“If you’re religious, then you believe there’s a special place in hell or purgatory for people like Anthony Bourdain who take their own lives,” Leavitt tweeted first.
“Selfishly taking your own life and hurting your friends and family makes you the steaming, gaping a—–e Anthony Bourdain,” Leavitt wrote, along with a tweet from Bourdain that called Leavitt a “steaming, gaping a—–e.”
In a follow-up, Leavitt wrote that “You don’t go to heaven when you kill yourself. It’s incredibly selfish. Don’t do it,” and then unbelievably appended the much-retweeted number to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, because apparently that makes this all OK.
You don’t go to heaven when you kill yourself. It’s incredibly selfish. Don’t do it. pic.twitter.com/DHAFfSLa4y
— David Leavitt 🎲🎮🧙♂️🌈 (@David_Leavitt) June 8, 2018
It didn’t take long for very visible clergy from at least two different faith backgrounds to weigh in on Leavitt’s tweet:
False. If you're religious, you believe in a God of mercy, who looks upon these people with infinite compassion. Suicide is the usually the result of depression, which is an illness. And God does not condemn the ill (Jn 9:3). At least that's what this religious person believes. https://t.co/3Pok2cjflv
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) June 9, 2018
I'm religious. I'm even clergy.
And I'm certain of a few things.
a) none of us truly know what happens after death.
b) If there is some sort of accounting, the God of love and mercy that I know would not punish anyone for suffering from a devastating illness. https://t.co/ORzZlY33SX
— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) June 8, 2018
And then there were more angry tweets from the non-clerical members of the Twittersphere,
Yeah I'm sure Jesus would be high-fiving you for this one, pal.
— stefan (@sirstefan) June 8, 2018
No, some of us know what an illness like depression is, and in any case we don't choose where people go after death. God's wisdom and mercy are enough.
— Caricatutrón (@Caricatutronico) June 8, 2018
If you're religious you understand the complete mercy of God and that there's a special place in hell for those who try to speak for God.
— Adrasteia (@Adrasteia17) June 10, 2018
You may not be surprised to learn that this isn’t the first time Leavitt has said something utterly outside the bounds of civilized human discourse on Twitter.
This, by the way, is what prompted Bourdain to call Leavitt a “gaping, steaming a—–e” in the first place. I think I rather agree with Bourdain on this one.
Amateur theology is probably not something journalists should be engaging in much, but it’s infinitely more inadvisable when it comes to a well-liked celebrity who’s just passed away.
I don’t particularly care what baggage that Leavitt has — apparently a Twitter spat with Bourdain which even Bourdain’s tragic death cannot move him to forgive — but I can’t picture anyone who realistically benefited from hearing Leavitt’s opinion on this matter, especially when it’s so vile.
In the wake of his remarks on Grande, CBS News, AXS and WBZ-TV (which Leavitt also listed as a client) all distanced themselves from Leavitt with great rapidity, according to the Washington Times. The only good news for Leavitt this time is that there aren’t too many of the publications he’s written for left that will have to very publicly sever whatever ties existed with him.
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