Why Roseanne’s latest “apology” is just one giant, meaningless contradiction

As almost everyone on the planet has heard by now, the highly anticipated Roseanne reboot was officially canceled yesterday, May 29th, after star Roseanne Barr tweeted a racist comment at former Obama-era advisor Valerie Jarrett, who happens to be an African-American woman. The now-deleted tweet said, “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” Likening people of color to “apes” is part of a long and painful history in western cultures, and the analogy has often been used to degrade, demean, and dehumanize an entire race of people.
The backlash to Barr was swift and just. Within hours, many of Barr’s colleagues tweeted their disgust over her comment, and ABC pulled the plug on her show — which was the highest rated on the network this past season and had already been renewed for Season 2.
After hours of seemingly frenzied tweets in which Barr claimed the comment was merely a “joke,” she eventually “apologized.”
Here's @therealroseanne's apology. pic.twitter.com/YWZ6i6WWq7
— Kate Aurthur (@KateAurthur) May 30, 2018
However, this apology was laced within a number of questionable and offensive posts and retweets by the star.
In one, Barr attempted to defend her initial comment by claiming she didn’t know Jarrett was a black woman. “I thought she was saudi,” she wrote (as if that somehow makes it okay?).
i thought she was saudi
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
She also retweeted several (thin and absurd) defenses of her comment.
I look like a monkey. Why? My DNA is 96% similar to a monkey's. It makes scientific sense. But due to emotions, double standards & feelings science is cancelled this year. There are 5,000 genders & if you don't agree with me you're a racist xenophobe.
— An0maly (@LegendaryEnergy) May 30, 2018
false
Additionally, Barr said that she was on the sleep-aid Ambien when she posted the original message. A since-deleted May 30th tweet read,
"guys I did something unforgiveable so do not defend me. It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting-it was memorial day too-i went 2 far & do not want it defended-it was egregious Indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn’t but...don’t defend it please. ty"
However, many, including Ambien’s parent company Sanofi, rightfully pointed out that Ambien does not cause you to have bigoted thoughts…that’s all you, Ms. Barr.
I checked. And Ambien does NOT make you racist. ….. Nice try, though, @therealroseanne. #Roseanne
— Van Jones (@VanJones68) May 30, 2018
At the end of the day, there’s no indication that Barr has any true remorse for the initial tweet or any understanding for why it was so hurtful and triggering to people of color in the first place. She may be sorry she lost herself a show; she may be sorry she lost her friends and coworkers jobs. But it appears nothing has changed in her actual perspectives on race or racism. Someone who took the time to understand these issues wouldn’t have tweeted/retweeted anything like this in the first place.
And that’s why we can’t accept her apology as sincere or meaningful now or, really, ever.