So far, 2016 has proved to be a real bummer when it comes to celebrity deaths. With the passing of such icons as David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Glenn Frey and Keith Emerson — among many others — we’ve barely had time to catch our breath. Now, this. It’s hard to believe that Prince is dead. Most of us are still in shock. But this loss has managed to bring everyone together in that shock and grief.
Well, almost everyone.
Arizona Sheriff — and sad excuse for a human being — Joe Arpaio decided to take the opportunity to tout his prison drug rehab program. Tacky, much? It was an affront to those of us mourning the loss of a musical icon and, more importantly, an insult to Prince’s family and friends. Joe tweeted this first (screen captured by Tom Boggioni at Raw Story) at around 8:00 pm local time:
Talk about passive-aggressive! Not to mention just plain nasty. Nobody has any idea what happened at this point. Except ol’ Joe. He thinks he knows, anyway. Yeah, he used “allegedly” but it’s still ugly. He must have got some heavy blowback on that because he deleted it about 2 hours later (but the Internet is forever, Joe) and then sent these two tweets:
Condolences to Prince family. He allegedly was treated for a drug overdose days ago. I celebrated 20 yrs of drug rehab in my jails today.
— Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe) April 22, 2016
Drugs are killing our nation!
— Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe) April 22, 2016
As you might expect, the Twitterverse exploded. Sheriff Joe got some seriously pissed-off responses.
@RealSheriffJoe way to insert yourself in something that has nothing to do with you, you grandstanding sociopath.
— C. N. B. (@cnbintucson) April 22, 2016
.@RealSheriffJoe rot in hell you tailcoat-riding walking human rights abuse
— 2016 yr of the pizza (@charredlarvae) April 22, 2016
.@RealSheriffJoe Yes. Of course you would. pic.twitter.com/GNVaPsdNN4
— Riley Robbins (@rileyrobbins) April 22, 2016
@RealSheriffJoe You are a POS and I want to see you forced to wear a pink tutu stuck in a tent in the desert.
— Jordan Kratz (@gorehound13) April 22, 2016
Oh, the image that last tweet conjures.
What kind of dickless wonder craps on the death of a beloved public figure? Even people who weren’t really fans can acknowledge Prince’s talent and contributions to music. Even people who didn’t like him have enough class to bow to the grief and loss the rest of us are feeling. It’s just plain inhuman not to.
When people complain about the state of the world, point them to Joe Arpaio.
It’s behavior like this that is killing our country, not drugs or gays or abortions. No matter what the right says. It’s this sort of self-aggrandizing, self-centered arrogance that is ruining our society. This lack of empathy. And jackasses like Joe Arpaio are prime examples of it. I’d say that he should be ashamed of himself but I honestly don’t think he is capable of that.
Featured Image by John Moore/Getty Images
