this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2025
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The problem with ignoring them is that it then tacitly shows acceptance of these behaviors.
We've already seen this with how women have been treated. Now we're making some progress by calling it out.
Additionally, if it's their goal to get attention then they will act even worse if they don't get the attention they want.
That’s fair, but I think it comes down to what the actual power dynamics of the space is. If you’re in a group that’s systemically discriminated against, just ignoring it means putting up with discrimination. Not getting good jobs, getting harassed by police, etc. you have to actively fight back against that.
Some dipshit online complaining about seeing a black person in a movie? They only have power proportionate to the attention they get. Let them scream into the void. If they get a comment, it validates what they were saying and gives them another opportunity to respond with even more bullshit that they know will have an engaged audience. If they get nothing, what are they gonna do? Reply to themselves? Keep making posts that get no attention? At some point they’ll just get bored or demotivated. If they do keep being a nuisance you block and/or ban them silently. EDIT: Oh, also, besides the personal validation, there is the algorithmic aspect to consider. Algorithms direct people to things that will hold their attention and get more engagement. The more you talk to these people the more people will get them shoved in their faces.
People talk about not platforming these people, well, every comment interaction they get is a new tiny stage for them to stand on.
Obviously context is important. In meatspace it's much more important to create friction and pushback. If you're moderating a platform it's important to, well, moderate.
But on social media, attention (good or bad) is currency. So ignoring can be a good strategy.
Notice how I'm specifically talking about news headlines, Facebook boomers, and 4chan. All digital spaces. I never said I didn't call this shit out IRL.
These people got attention on social media first, and then decided to move it offline. There are whole articles about how Steve Bannon used online spaces to radicalize people because doing it irl was too tough before and during the first Trump presidency. Then newsmedia and every social platform found outrage generated clicks which generated ad revenue during the first Trump presidency, and we have now been living in this racist, fascist hellscape for a decade.