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Who is Virginia Heffernan? LA Times columnist dubbed 'elitist a**h*le' for jabs against pro-Trump neighbors

In her latest viral article for the publication, Heffernan recounted a personal experience with her pro-Trump neighbors

This week, Los Angeles Times columnist Virginia Heffernan was at the receiving end of a lot of flak on social media as one of her recent articles for the publication became viral for all the wrong reasons. Heffernan is being tagged hateful names on Twitter – from an "elitist a**h*le" and a "divisive person" to straight-up abuses – the reporter is trending for the wrong reasons. 

In her latest article for the publication, Heffernan recounted a personal experience with her pro-Trump neighbors who helped plow her driveway following a snowstorm without her asking for it, but the op-ed piece was received in a negative light. 

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Heffernan, in her article, described a personal experience at length. "Oh, heck no. The Trumpites next door to our pandemic getaway, who seem as devoted to the ex-president as you can get without being Q fans, just plowed our driveway without being asked and did a great job. How am I going to resist demands for unity in the face of this act of aggressive niceness?" she wrote. "Of course, on some level, I realize I owe them thanks - and, man, it really looks like the guy back-dragged the driveway like a pro - but how much thanks?"

"These neighbors are staunch partisans of blue lives, and there aren’t a lot of anything other than white lives in the neighborhood. This is also kind of weird. Back in the city, people don’t sweep other people’s walkways for nothing," she continued. "Maybe it’s like what Eddie Murphy discovered in that old 'Saturday Night Live' sketch 'White Like Me'. He goes undercover in white makeup and finds that when white people are among their own, they pop free champagne and live the high life. As Murphy puts it: “Slowly I began to realize that when white people are alone, they give things to each other. For free. Hezbollah, the Shiite Islamist political party in Lebanon, also gives things away for free. The favors Hezbollah does for people in the cities Tyre and Sidon probably don’t involve snowplows, but, like other mafias, Hezbollah tends to its own - the Shiite sick, elderly and hungry. They offer protection and hospitality and win loyalty that way. And they also demand devotion to their brutal, us-versus-them anti-Sunni cause. Some of us are family, the favors say; the rest are infidels."

One tweet was enough to blow up the situation. "The poison here, from @page88, suggests one should shun their kind neighbors because of their political choices. This is the kind of psychopathic behaviour that only a lifetime of indoctrination (and/or drugs) can create," a user tweeted highlighting the paragraphs in the article where Heffernan allegedly spewed hate. 

From there, many people on social media called out Heffernan. "Virginia Heffernan is an Elitist A**h*le. So full of her Identity Politics and Sheer Arrogance, she's lost all ability to see simple human kindness. Talk about somebody in Dire Need for Deprogramming," one user tweeted. "@page88 VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN recently published the most absurd column in the LA Times comparing good deeding conservative neighbors to Hezbollah. You are everything that’s wrong with this country," another added. 

Some elaborated on the seemingly absurd nature of Heffernan's article, while others couldn't care less to mince their words. "Someone tell @page88 Virginia Heffernan she's a an incredibly obnoxious spoiled privileged crybaby. She's not a "survivor," she hasn't gone thru ANYTHING difficult. I wish I had her problems. Everyone shld have such nice neighbors, who the f*ck gives a sh*t who they voted for?" "Virginia Heffernan is the lunatic fringe," another tweeted. 

Many on social media called for stringent action against the reporter and demanding they stop spreading hate. "@latimes I am cancelling my subscription with you & will not come back until Virginia Heffernan no longer works there. She is a hateful, divisive person & you are giving her a platform to spread more hate, mistrust, and insanity. Listen to Biden- stop the hate!!!!"