I’m super guilty of this too, but the thing is it gives them a performative platform to spread more BS.
Without you they either stop with dozens of downvotes, or continue replying to themselves making them look more and more crazy.
Engaging in view of the community makes it look like there is something of value to engage with when there is not. Simply engaging gives them legitimacy.
If you’re are interested in debate with them I’d suggest taking it to PMs. I suspect they won’t continue the conversation out of view, but I could be wrong.
Does it necessarily though? When I’m responding to this kind of hate, I am usually trying to make it very clear that I’m taking out the trash. There is no implication of discourse between two similarly valid perspectives, it’s a no-holds barred takedown.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the way this will be perceived but for me it’s helpful to recognize misinformation when I see someone has already debunked it. I don’t think it does anything to platform them.
Of course, I also support deplatforming hate, but I don’t always have the power to do that directly. And sometimes by challenging views that are carefully framed so as to appear respectable, you can entice people to reveal their real views and motivations, and make such deplatforming more likely.
I’m super guilty of this too, but the thing is it gives them a performative platform to spread more BS.
Without you they either stop with dozens of downvotes, or continue replying to themselves making them look more and more crazy.
Engaging in view of the community makes it look like there is something of value to engage with when there is not. Simply engaging gives them legitimacy.
If you’re are interested in debate with them I’d suggest taking it to PMs. I suspect they won’t continue the conversation out of view, but I could be wrong.
Does it necessarily though? When I’m responding to this kind of hate, I am usually trying to make it very clear that I’m taking out the trash. There is no implication of discourse between two similarly valid perspectives, it’s a no-holds barred takedown.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the way this will be perceived but for me it’s helpful to recognize misinformation when I see someone has already debunked it. I don’t think it does anything to platform them.
Of course, I also support deplatforming hate, but I don’t always have the power to do that directly. And sometimes by challenging views that are carefully framed so as to appear respectable, you can entice people to reveal their real views and motivations, and make such deplatforming more likely.