Twitter has always been one of the more politically conscious social networks. But in the age of the Trump administration, politics seems to pervade even the most seemingly neutral subjects. The snowstorm which hit the Eastern Seaboard today – giving students and workers an unexpected day at home – yielded a wide range of conversation on the #SnowDay hashtag,
First, there was food, and lots of it:
6 slow-cooked hrs later: 3-bean veggie chilli w/a lil cheese, lots of lime, & tortilla chips & avocado. #nomnom #snowday #stella2017 pic.twitter.com/od4AvXpUee
— Christina M. Knowles (@bostonpolitica) March 14, 2017
#Snowday = homemade soup! Now off to shovel ❄️ pic.twitter.com/zydRi2Aqm0
— Marcelle Galluzzo (@mg_d) March 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/Katelynvanpeltt/status/841770516360921089
And there were carefully dressed toddlers:
First snow for this guy! Randy? #CharlesTownWV #7inches #snowday @weatherchannel @nbcwashington @AMHQ pic.twitter.com/8vmR5e0RcX
— Haley Gargan (@h_gargan) March 14, 2017
Staying warm in our STH jackets while the blizzard hits! #NERevs #needinfantsize #snowday pic.twitter.com/ORwZOtbQJ5
— Mr Brandon Schaeffer (@TheSchaeffer) March 14, 2017
But pretty soon, folks realized that the blizzard was not as boisterous as promised. The Weather Channel caught some of the flak:
Watching The Weather Channel scramble to tell us why they messed up the NY City area snow forecast #StellaBlizzard #snowday
— OHellzNo (@OHellzNo) March 14, 2017
… as did the entire notion of global warming:
Roses are red
Snow is white
Global warming is fake
So wake up and be quiet. #snowdaypic.twitter.com/5T6wgBrvsV— Tennessee (@TEN_GOP) March 14, 2017
… and some even thought that weather reports smelt like fake news.
#Snowday: When the Weather Channel says there's going to be a massive blizzard and it snows 6 inches. pic.twitter.com/78K8cBrljH
— Elizabeth® (@MissLizzyNJ) March 14, 2017
Perhaps not surprisingly, this was not the only time that Donald Trump made an appearance on the hashtag. His supporters were out in force:
This blizzard is crazy. The Snowflakes are HUGE. I haven't seen snowflakes that big since that anti-Trump rally #StellaBlizzard #snowday
— Alkaline Bro (@DrJerryTFM) March 14, 2017
… as were several of his detractors.
https://twitter.com/copywronger/status/841633138862374912
It's a #snowday! Can't protest, but you CAN join the #IdesofTrump! Cut postcards from file folders, write stuff, &mail it to Trump tomorrow!
— Ellen W (@EllenBookstore) March 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/Blurred_Trees/status/829747456095186945
Twitter has always been one of the more politically conscious social networks. But in the age of the Trump administration, politics seems to pervade even the most seemingly neutral subjects.
It seems that politics is never far from tweeters’ minds – whatever the weather.