Before we sharpen our pitchfork for the big cancel Microsoft party, let’s take a look at the joke in question. After a year of millions of people being forced to work from home, Microsoft decided to tweet out the following to those remote workers: “Reminder: build your schedule around meals”. The horror. Now, I guess some of you are like me and may be wondering what all the fuss is about, but ZDNet says the tweet sparked some blow back from the Twitterverse. While some people took the light-hearted comment in the intended light, others were not so pleased.
— Microsoft (@Microsoft) April 26, 2021
Responses
One response offered the following repost to Microsoft: “Rich people get to do that. Most people have a schedule what their boss asked them to.” Another took issue considering the financial situation many find themselves in following COVID-19: “Hey… great advice Microsoft… Thanks a lot… But… I still have a question… What will we do if we run out of food? any advice for this issue?” It’s worth noting some seen the funnier side and roasted Microsoft in return, including this excellent burn: “I build my schedule around failed Windows updates.” While the COVID-19 pandemic has left people in a tough situation, Microsoft’s tweet was clearly not aimed at offending people. In fact, perhaps the most offensive thing about it is the fact it’s a joke that is simply not funny. Still, in a world where being offended is a proper pastime, perhaps Microsoft will avoid making ill-timed and unthoughtful jokes in the future.
