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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Professor Murder" data-source="post: 8331985" data-attributes="member: 6991813">Bare with me as I think of this a good deal and I am still working out how I feel about the concepts.I try to avoid "smoke fighting." Going after easy targets that are symptoms of issues rather than contributors to said issue. Sometimes people say completely bone headed things, get called out, and instead of listening and retracting, they double down. They clarify that not only their words are bone headed, but their views are also lacking. The words are smoke. The views are fire. But this is not a universal view. Words can and do harm people. When they are in sufficient density. A soloist is only as loud as their individual voice, but a chorus is many voices acting as one. It can be satisfying to pile onto people who say bone headed things. It is tiresome to politely correct people with regressive takes and statements. I don't think there are easy answers and I don't think people who say cruel things "accidently" should get a pass. But I do lament the laziness of the eagerness to fight smoke and not put in the social and emotional labor to fight fire. I know this isn't easy, and sometimes we want the easy win of dunking on someone online. It feels good. The hard work of actual social justice is just that: Work. And work sucks. But it is more rewarding in the long run. So dunk away. But don't shirk the responsibility to build a better way.</blockquote>