Tweet wars are not exactly the stuff epic battles are made of, but they do make for entertaining reads, especially when they occur between two strong personalities like Roger Ebert and right-wing media controversialist Andrew Breitbart. The two were caught up in a tête-à-tête on Tuesday over Timothy Treadwill, the bear enthusiast whose life and death was explored in Werner Herzog's 2005 documentary "Grizzly Man." The squabble started when Ebert tweeted his review of "Aguirre, the Wrath of God," Herzog's 1972 film, which prompted Breitbart to bait the great critic:
andrewbreitbart: @ebertchicago Did you like Werner Herzog's 'Grizzly Man'? Best, perhaps, inadvertent exploration of progressive/leftist mind. Seriously.
ebertchicago: @andrewbreitbart Huh? Treadwell was universally deplored as unhinged, and condemned for leading his girlfriend to death.
andrewbreitbart: @ebertchicago film wasnt political but treadwells challenging absurd beardogma was embraced by mediaschools & framed as idealism & progress.
ebertchicago: @andrewbrietbart Show me a "media school" that embraced Tim ("Grizzly Man") Treadwell, "& framed [him] as idealism & progress."
Point to Ebert! The argument lasts for a few more tweets but eventually the two men find themselves drawn to other happenings in the world of social media. For the sake of entertainment, though, I hope they decide to continue. I wouldn't mind seeing Ebert tweet a few more zingers Breitbart's way. Oh, what great stuff people can do when armed with 140 characters.
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