Bette Midler Dragged Even After Apologizing for Tweet Saying 'Women Are the N-Word of the World'

Bette Midler probably thought she was making a powerful statement about how women are perceived and treated in the world, but all she did was insult one of its most oppressed minorities.

It took three hours (and one double-down) for Midler to reconsider her original comments, deleting her tweet and replacing it with another where she attributes her careless comparison of women to the black community to her anger over the brief FBI investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

In a since-deleted tweet late Thursday afternoon, the actress wrote that women are "the most disrespected creatures on earth," summing up her thoughts with the quote, "Women are the n-word of the world." The tone-deaf comparison immediately drew the ire of people of all races and genders.

Her eventual apology, though, did little to quell the growing tide of discontent over her comments and its perceived dismissal of the historic suffering of black people, and black women in particular.

It didn't help that it came only after she tried to defend her initial tweet, doubling down on her intentions while missing the point entirely why people might find it incredibly insensitive. This tweet was also deleted when the apology finally emerged.

Midler was paraphrasing a line from one of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's more controversial songs entitled "Woman Is the N----r of the World." The song stirred up plenty of ire in 1972 when it was initially released for largely the same reason people are finding Midler's tweet offensive today.

Almost immediately, Midler's name began trending on Twitter and continued to do so deep into the night. She was chastised by several prominent figures in the worlds of politics, entertainment and social activism, accused of showing her privilege and reminded that a white woman shouldn't be marginalizing black women, or black people, like this.

Even her eventual apology did little to quell the growing storm. The whole debacle launched a discussion about policing the emotions and reactions of people of color when faced with this kind of tone-deaf demonstration that people in positions of privilege just don't seem to get it, no matter how well-intentioned they might be.

We've gathered some of the most passionate responses to her initial tweet, its deletion and her subsequent apology below:

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