Is there a finer illustration of the Twitter hellscape than the debate on Lockheed Martin’s nepotism and hire-ableism that is now raging on the timeline? Buckle up if you’re wondering why a defence contractor is hot on Monday.
Ana Mardoll, a well-known and contentious Twitter figure and trans and disabled author of young adult literature, started the controversy by asserting that the notion that authors should read books is ableist in late July. Although the take was derided online, on Monday morning Mardoll—a longtime employee and nepotism hire at Lockheed Martin, a big defence contractor that makes the majority of its money by selling weapons to the U.S. military—became Twitter’s main character of the day.
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Mardoll responded to the discussion by acknowledging on Twitter that he was hired as a software licencing specialist by a “big organisation” because members of his family are employed there. He then deleted his account and switched to private mode.
He stated in a since-deleted post, “I obtained this specific position since my family works for the same firm. “I continue working since I have a peculiar part-time schedule for medical reasons. Finding a remote WFH job that would cover my medical expenses and allow me to work 10–20 hours a week is difficult.
The disclosure of Mardoll’s employment history is particularly shocking because it contradicts his online persona: despite frequently acting as what some have called a “woke-scold” (and allegedly using his sizable online audience to attack other authors in the past), Mardoll was a legacy hire at a company that provides the weapons for international conflict.
Some people felt that the job announcement was even more obnoxious in light of the fact that Mardoll had previously used his fan base to crowdfund his projects. Many people assumed Mardoll was much younger because of his Twitter bio, which refers to him as a “trans boy,” but he revealed in his tweets during this issue that he had been employed there for 15 years.
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In the meantime, after Mardoll stopped tweeting, his backers have retaliated against the criticism, pointing out that he was being doxed and that details about his private life were coming from the contentious 4-chan-like website KiwiFarms. They have also criticised what they believe to be an unfair association between Mardoll’s need for health insurance and Lockheed Martin’s arms dealing.
Fortunately, the majority of internet users are scrolling past yet another Twitter rabbit hole that should be avoided.