- Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak has made several mistakes live on air recently.
- His latest ‘gaffe’ has turned into accusations that he was mocking someone with a speech impediment.
- Once you watch the video, you’ll see that people will go to any lengths to get the attention of canceling someone.
Pat Sajak seems like a good guy, unless you go on Twitter.
The app has become ground zero for cancel culture. People pick apart other people, sometimes for things they said or did decades ago. And it’s fine because these eager accusers don’t have to face the repercussions–even when they’re wrong.
Many of them aren’t even posting under their real identities. They’re just scanning the world for things that can bring them attention. And nothing gathers attention quite like a juicy drama.
Twitter users tried to get Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak caught in some of that drama this week. And if it sticks, it says more about us than anything Pat Sajak did.
Pat Sajak And His Unbelievable Crime
It all started when Pat Sajak gave a short interview for contestant Chris Brimble. During the exchange, it apparently becomes ‘clear’ that Brimble has a lisp.
Sajak then responded to one of Brimble’s answers by saying “I thee” instead of “I see.” Even that’s not abundantly clear. But it was enough for people with nothing better to do to accuse Sajak of mocking a man with a speech impediment.
Watch the video for yourself:
Did @patsajak just mock one of the contestants?? @WheelofFortune @TMZ pic.twitter.com/brJIMEB4yh
— phil (@nicolegphil) February 23, 2021
It’s a stretch, at best, to say that Pat Sajak just mocked his contestant’s speech impediment. He was clearly having a light-hearted conversation with Brimble. And while Sajak has pushed back against guests in the past, he usually had good reasons.
The Real Reason For Sajak’s Response
If anything, he might have fallen victim to ‘the chameleon effect.’ According to an article published in the American Psychological Association, the chameleon effect is a:
nonconscious mimicry of the postures, mannerisms, facial expressions, and other behaviors of one’s interactions partners, such that one’s behavior passively, and unintentionally changes to match that of others in one’s current social environment.
It sounds like, as opposed to a monster, we may just have a chameleon on our hands. It’s the same effect you get when you hang out with people who have a certain accent. You pick up on it and start talking like them out of nowhere. Oftentimes, it’s the result of people getting along and enjoying each other’s company.
Sure, he’s pushed back against guests in the past. But it was only when they were being rude. Check out this video of some of Pat Sajak’s retorts:
And if you watch the original video in question, it’s clear there’s no ill will between these two gentlemen.
To accuse Sajak of such a cruel act is just assuming the worst about someone who has a long, clean track record. We’ve already lost several iconic game show hosts recently. Let’s try to keep from banishing this one.
Good thing Sajak has been tweeting out helpful messages for ‘the haters’ for some time now.
Sajak Provides Detractors With a Solution
Clearly, to accuse someone like Pat Sajak of such a dirty crime, your mind must already be enveloped in negativity. Happy people don’t spend their time on Twitter trying to pick people apart.
Sajak seems to have some understanding of this. That’s why he’s dedicated his Twitter account to tweeting out little pearls of wisdom that could give these miserable, trigger-happy cancellers a way out of the darkness.
Check out some of these gems:
And we’ll leave you with a final thought, a blessing to all of the bitter people out there who can’t wait to unload their anger onto somebody else:
It looks like Pat Sajak wasn’t really mocking his contestant’s speech impediment. He was just mocking his haters.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.