If nothing else, Steve, your work in these comments sections on Medium regularly shows it’s possible to get people to rethink their bigotry if you disarm them with frank, mostly respectful dialogue.
I had my own mini-“Commentary” moment in an exchange with a hideously racist commenter (like, old school, they don’t make them like that anym…
If nothing else, Steve, your work in these comments sections on Medium regularly shows it’s possible to get people to rethink their bigotry if you disarm them with frank, mostly respectful dialogue.
I had my own mini-“Commentary” moment in an exchange with a hideously racist commenter (like, old school, they don’t make them like that anymore! racist; like, “wait, is this a Russian troll?” level) on Glenn Loury’s Substack. I wasn’t the most respectful I’ve ever been, I got pretty heated offline, but it took the weirdest turn ever that you just have to see to believe: https://glennloury.substack.com/p/the-amy-wax-debate-continues/comment/4575015?s=r
I see his original comments were too much even for Glenn (he got banned), but I sometimes wonder what happened to this guy and if he and his wife really did check out that restaurant.
"I had my own mini-“Commentary” moment in an exchange with a hideously racist commenter"
Oh wow! What an absolutely bizarre guy! And more to the point, what a bizarre fixation with black-owned bakeries!😂
I've said it a few times recently, but it's amazing how confidently people can be absolutely wrong. The fact that he's calling you a liar in ALL-CAPS because you claim there are more black-owned bakeries in the whole of America than the one he's aware of, really is emblematic of what's wrong with discourse. And the fact that he seemed so genuinely grateful to learn that black bakery ownership is more or less proportional is...well, as you said, if I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it.
The emotion (evidenced by the incoherence) in his replies is really the root problem in so much discourse. People like "Odin" fear (and can find somebody, somewhere on the internet who will affirm) that their "tribe" is under attack. So they spend all their time in attack mode. Often about truly bizarre things. Which is why a few facts and a lot of patience (I think you were perfectly respectful, especially relative to him) can sometimes go a long way. The sad truth is these people are often just sad and lonely and afraid and need somebody who'll treat them like a human being. Thank you for being that person in this case.
Yeah, as pissed off as I was, I think the only response that I wasn't proud of was the one about "That was just all I could be bothered to look up for you. Try Google. And leaving your house on occasion." but hey, we all have our breaking points!! 😂
If nothing else, Steve, your work in these comments sections on Medium regularly shows it’s possible to get people to rethink their bigotry if you disarm them with frank, mostly respectful dialogue.
I had my own mini-“Commentary” moment in an exchange with a hideously racist commenter (like, old school, they don’t make them like that anymore! racist; like, “wait, is this a Russian troll?” level) on Glenn Loury’s Substack. I wasn’t the most respectful I’ve ever been, I got pretty heated offline, but it took the weirdest turn ever that you just have to see to believe: https://glennloury.substack.com/p/the-amy-wax-debate-continues/comment/4575015?s=r
I see his original comments were too much even for Glenn (he got banned), but I sometimes wonder what happened to this guy and if he and his wife really did check out that restaurant.
"I had my own mini-“Commentary” moment in an exchange with a hideously racist commenter"
Oh wow! What an absolutely bizarre guy! And more to the point, what a bizarre fixation with black-owned bakeries!😂
I've said it a few times recently, but it's amazing how confidently people can be absolutely wrong. The fact that he's calling you a liar in ALL-CAPS because you claim there are more black-owned bakeries in the whole of America than the one he's aware of, really is emblematic of what's wrong with discourse. And the fact that he seemed so genuinely grateful to learn that black bakery ownership is more or less proportional is...well, as you said, if I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it.
The emotion (evidenced by the incoherence) in his replies is really the root problem in so much discourse. People like "Odin" fear (and can find somebody, somewhere on the internet who will affirm) that their "tribe" is under attack. So they spend all their time in attack mode. Often about truly bizarre things. Which is why a few facts and a lot of patience (I think you were perfectly respectful, especially relative to him) can sometimes go a long way. The sad truth is these people are often just sad and lonely and afraid and need somebody who'll treat them like a human being. Thank you for being that person in this case.
Yeah, as pissed off as I was, I think the only response that I wasn't proud of was the one about "That was just all I could be bothered to look up for you. Try Google. And leaving your house on occasion." but hey, we all have our breaking points!! 😂
Despite being banned (understandable), I was so happily surprised at Odin's eventual responses. There's hope for everyone.