Neil Gaiman calls for Twitter to become a kind place again, receives thinly-veiled death threat instead

Twitter is home to a wide range of opinions, but it’s safe to say those opinions have grown more divisive in the wake of Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform. Noticing this, English author and creator of The Sandman Neil Gaiman shouted partially into the void when calling on Twitter to become a kinder place again (although when it was ever truly kind is difficult to discern). In return, he received a “Veiled Death Threat.”

Gaiman, like Stephen King, has been vocal about his criticism of Elon Musk’s $41.4 billion purchase of the digital town square. He likened the site to a fun party that’s officially come to an end; he may linger around the punch bowl, but he’s halfway toward the door. Twisting his arm further in that direction is a Twitter account with only 6 followers who identifies as “angry’n compassionate.” Calling Gaiman “self-righteous to a pervert degree,” the account did nothing to disguise its anger and everything to let compassion fall by the wayside when they said, “death is a necessary lesson” for the renowned and respected author.

In response, Gaiman reiterated that Twitter “could be a good place. It was, back in the day. But nonsense like this is precisely what I’m grumbling about.”

Gaiman, who is no stranger to engaging in a one-on-one conversation with fans, such as roasting them over racist complaints about The Sandman’s casting choices, appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Just minutes after this death threat, he received a personal tweet from a fan thanking him for sharing the link to fundraiser that ultimately helped them pay for food and rent. “And things like that are why I’ve stuck around,” said Gaiman in response.

Twitter is undoubtedly on the precipice of major change, what with Musk foreshadowing the arrival of advertisements and confirming that verified accounts will have to pay a monthly fee to keep their status. Like Stephen King and other celebrities, Gaiman clearly has one foot out the door. Only time will tell if he and the rest of the world stick around, or finds a new digital playground to hang out on.