Saint Louis University students exploring the Twitter universe have stumbled upon a familiar face in the past few weeks. Saint Louis University President Fr. Lawrence J. Biondi, S.J. has created an account.
The only problem is that it is not really him. An anonymous Twitter user created a satirical profile representing Biondi and has attracted 1,176 followers as of Sep. 14.
“Regarding [the account], we’re aware of the account impersonating Father Biondi and have notified Twitter,” Assistant Vice President for Communications Clayton Berry said.
Biondi’s profile, which has been noted as a parody by the creator, describes him as “SLU President, Knight of the Italian Order of Merit (Highest Order), Future Pope and Sunshine Enthusiast”.
The string of tweets straddles the line between absurd and humorous, such as “to infinity and Biondi.” More often than not, however, the posts take direct jabs at SLU and Biondi himself.
The creator of the account posted a tweet on Sep. 9, saying, “This account is purely parody. Father Biondi is a great man and has my fullest respect, and I’ve (sic) no intention of abusing his name”.
Since that post, the creator has posted 13 more times, continuing the parody parade.
The latest post on the account focused on students as the target of ridicule, asking the question, “Do kids in Reinert know that their life sucks? They really fell for the personal showers thing.”
While the posts have intermingled humor and suggestive remarks, some students find them offensive.
Reinert resident and sophomore Nutrition student Terra Kreiner believes that the comment was unfair towards Reinert residents.
“I think that tweet was biased. I actually requested to live in Reinert my freshman year and it was the best choice I have ever made,” Kreiner said.
The majority of SLU students, including junior Nursing student Emily Nowell, think that the account is a lighthearted attempt at humor.
“I think it just harmless and providing humor to SLU students. It is hilarious, though. Absolutely hilarious,” Nowell said.
Senior criminal justice Joe Andreoni agrees with Nowell, but he also has his reservations about the Twitter account.
“I think it’s a funny idea, but not nearly as entertaining as it could be,” Andreoni said. “It’s not worth the hype.”
KeepingUsPowerless • Sep 18, 2011 at 2:05 am
Yet another move by Biondi to keep any and all criticism by the students completely swept under the rug.