“The View” co-host Meghan McCain is in hot water after sharing a celebratory Fourth of July post suggesting that history only began after July 4, 1776.
McCain’s post, shared on Instagram this week, depicts a scene from the popular sitcom “Parks and Recreation” in which character Ron Swanson insults every chapter of history that came before the U.S. finally gained its independence from Great Britain.
“History began on July 4, 1776. Everything before that was a mistake,” the meme reads, followed by the caption, “Happy 242nd Birthday, America! usususus.”
The post sparked backlash almost immediately, with users decrying the meme as “insensitive,” “disrespectful” and flat out “incorrect.”
“That’s an arrogant post and SO disrespectful to Native Americans,” one person commented.
“Hopefully you can take a joke on ‘The View’ when one of the ladies come for you, because this isn’t funny at all,” wrote another.
One user suggested that everything after the contentious 2016 presidential election “was an even bigger mistake.”
Others came to McCain’s defense, arguing that the post was meant to be comical or satirical. When taken out of context, however, avid watchers of the show explained how the “joke” could be viewed as offensive.
“Haha! I love your dry sense of humor ad everyone stop coming for her!” one person said. “She’s just trying to have some fun ya’ll!! Chill out. It’s a joke or a meme!!”
“Oh, it’s absolutely disrespectful,” another user wrote. “That’s who Ron Swanson was. His character was known for being blatantly irreverent … He was a caricature of the segment of our population who practice an extreme form of nationalism to their own detriment.”
McCain has yet to respond to the backlash.
