Atheism +

[Darkstar]

Almost all of our readers are women, most of them are educated and many of them are quite politically liberal. Because of this large, diverse and progressive readership...

What part of that first sentence suggested anything other than homogenaity?

My big challenge is knowing how to respond to this kind of feedback, which comes in almost daily. Sometimes it feels like I have two options:


• Acquiesce to every complaint of anyone anywhere on the internet, until we're putting trigger warnings at the top of posts that mention balloons because some people are globophobic (TRUE STORY!).

• Align myself with insensitive assholes who defend their right to hate speech.

The first suggests that people just need to grow up, the second suggests that people on the internet are real savages. I vote for the first; even though there are some jerks on the internet, what is described here suggests you just need to grow up and it won't genuinely offend you. (Keep in mind she compares the level of offensiveness with Westboro Baptist Church anti-homosexual protests).

Lack of consideration for the context or intent. The focus is on this isolated incident (this one post, this one word, this one time), with de-emphasis on the author's background, experience, or the context of the website on which the post appears.

• And on a more stylistic note, these complaints are often prefaced with phrases like "Um," and other condescending affectations.

Oh no, he said um! Better report that pompous jerksore! So, because an author who says something stupid/incorrect has experience or a different background that means their mistake shouldn't be pointed out?