Popcorned Planet host Andy Signore recently went on a Twitter tirade mocking Christianity as well as YouTuber Melonie Mac.
Signore took issue with two of Mac’s tweets from earlier this month one in which she criticized the aesthetic of the race-swapped April O’Neil from the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem film, and the other describing herself as a Christian.
On March 6th, Mac tweeted, “As always people are pulling the racist card at any April O’Neil criticism (white ‘activists’ at that). April is supposed to be beautiful, they could have given us a cute, black April. They made her ugly on purpose, race plays no role in that.”
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She then tweeted, “I’m a Christian who believes in the Bible, I don’t care what kind of ‘phobe’ I am called for that. I will not compromise my faith for anyone.”
Signore screenshotted the two tweets and wrote, “Amen Melonie Mac. Was it Proverbs 14:21 or Colossians 3:12 that said: Whoever dwells in the shelter of KFC too long will be denied entry by the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘April O’Neill will only be beautiful if she’s young and skinny.'”
Signore then added, “God doesn’t promote this.”
After mocking both God and Mac, Signore attempted to backpedal claiming he was only mocking Mac, “For those of you misreading my clear sarcasm mocking HER – I wasn’t agreeing with her. I’m saying God wouldn’t promote the hate Melonie Mac is supposedly preaching…She should study the two scriptures I actually quoted, they could teach her a lot.”
As for what “hate” Mac is supposedly preaching, Signore would later write, “You should speak to her about Christianity and being kind to folks instead of labeling someone not skinny and white as UGLY”
As noted above, Mac’s criticism of April O’Neil has nothing to do with her skin tone. In fact, she writes, “They made her ugly on purpose, race plays no role in that.” On top of that she would also share an objectively cuter race-swapped version of April O’Neil.
Regardless it is not promoting hate to criticize a character design that appears to embrace the sin of gluttony or “an inordinate love of eating and drinking” as Venerable Louis of Granada writes in The Sinner’s Guide.
He adds, “When you feel the promptings of this shameful disorder, subdue them by the following considerations: Call to mind that it was a sin of gluttony which brought death into the world, and that it is the first and most important passion to be conquered, for upon the subjugation of this vice depends your victory over all others. We cannot successfully battle with enemies abroad when the forces within us are in a state of rebellion.”
Not only is criticizing the overweight character design not evil or in any way shape or form promoting hate, but even if Mac criticized the race swap it would not be promoting hate either.
Signore would also tell one user he wasn’t mocking her faith, when it’s clear that was indeed what he was doing with his mock Bible quote.
He tweeted, “Mocking her faith?! I’m mocking her own hypocrisy… Maybe look up the two scriptures I quoted, I picked those two for a reason – cause if she followed what she preached, she wouldn’t be so hateful to people based on their looks. That’s just her own insecurities talking.”
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First off, Signore appears to be conflating criticism of a fictional character to real life people. Nowhere does Mac connect the two, so that’s purely on Signore making that connection. As we just went over above, she’s not being hateful.
So his claim of her being hypocritical falls flat on its face because nothing in Christian teaching condemns one of criticizing fictional characters depictions. In fact, as noted above, it could be argued that criticizing the overweight April O’Neil can be seen as just given it definitely appears she embraces the sin of gluttony.
As for the Scriptures Signore cited in his original tweet, Provebrs 14:21 reads, “Whoever despises the hungry comes up short, but happy the one who is kind to the poor!” It’s unclear what this has to do with criticism of a fictional character’s design.
The second verse, Colossians 3:12-13, reads, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.”
Again, it’s unclear what this Scripture passage has to do with Mac’s criticism of a fictional character being obese and objectively ugly.
Nevertheless, Signore doubled down responding to another user writing, “I’m mocking her. She doesn’t practice what she preaches. There is obviously no scripture that reads like that. It sounds absurd – but that’s what she seems to believe – hence I’m mocking her.”
Ironically, while Signore attempted to moral grandstand against Mac, he exposed his own lack of moral authority.
Responding to a user calling him out for being sacrilegious and cringe, Signore took the Lord’s name in vain writing, “Imagine being this sensitive over a god damn tweet – and you think I’m the cringe.”
Nevertheless, Mac’s stand for Christ and Signore’s attack should actually be encouraging to her. As Christ said during the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
What do you make of Signore’s attack on Melonie Mac and mocking of Christianity?