‘BQHATEVWR’ HE SAID
Scott’s Twitter troubles light up Web with jokes
Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown set off an Internet sensation early yesterday after a string of odd messages were posted on his Twitter account, including one that appeared to be a misspelling of “whatever,” that turned into a popular online trend.
The tweets of “whatever” to critics began appearing on Brown’s official account after midnight yesterday, including one post that said “Bqhatevwr.”
Twitter users soon used the nonsensical word in famous quotes and pop culture references as the term became a Twitter trend:
• “Lance Armstrong has admitted to doping but when will he admitted to #bqhatevwr” — @BarryGropp
• “BREAKING: State Dept. believes #bqhatevwr may be a plot orchestrated by the octogenarian Castro brothers and Cuban Communists” — @NickZoller.
• “Ask not what #Bqhatevwr can do for you; ask what you can do for #Bqhatevwr” — @Bobblespeak
One anonymous Web user even registered the domain name bqhatevwr .com where people can post memes.
The early-morning messages on Brown’s account were later deleted. Brown could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Republican strategist Brad Marston called deleting the posts a mistake and said he encourages public figures to joke online about their mistakes.
“If I was managing his account, I wouldn’t have gone back and deleted. By taking it down, it’s indicating that there was something wrong with it,” he said.
Marston said the incident won’t hurt Brown’s future political aspirations.
“People are having a lot of fun with it, but this is something that will blow over. It’s not Weinergate,” said Marston, referring to former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who resigned after he admitted to tweeting a photo of himself in his underwear. “I don’t think it hurts his everyman image.”