Conor Friedersdorf

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@cmclymer @maxtis85 @jelani9 As with scores of bills passed by state legislatures that offend my libertarian leaning sensibilities, I have not written about much if at all about state trans issues, much as you have not written about many things to which you object. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@franklinleonard @cmclymer @maxtis85 @jelani9 That was directed at Corey, not you — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@franklinleonard @cmclymer @maxtis85 @jelani9 Oh, well, had I known you touched on the subject in a TEDX talk I'd have deferred unquestioningly to your perspective! — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

For months and months, one of the most glaring failures of social justice in the world has been the failure to ramp up the supply and global distribution of MRNA vaccines more quickly. And the ongoing lack of clarity about the specific obstacles to doing so is vexing. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@franklinleonard @cmclymer @maxtis85 @jelani9 Franklin, most every Netflix and HBO Comedy special ever produced has problematic content. And I invite you to talk about any of it as much as you like so long as you don't call for it to be censored or claim without evidence that it causes violence. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@maxtis85 @jelani9 I don't think the positions *sketch comedy can reinforce racial prejudices* and *my standup specials don't lead to assaults* are facially inconsistent. Do you disagree with those shorthands of his positions? — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@cmclymer @maxtis85 @jelani9 As with scores of bills passed by state legislatures that offend my libertarian leaning sensibilities, I have not written about much if at all about state trans issues, much as you have not written about many things to which you object. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@cmclymer @maxtis85 @jelani9 I don't agree with that summàtion of the special's message. As well, I highly doubt that the awful death toll you speak of would be any different in a world with or without Chappelle, but as with 13 Reasons Why and the suicide spike, I'm open to any evidence to the contrary. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@CoreyAtad @jelani9 Make a substantive point or go away. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@maxtis85 @jelani9 If so, I can respect your judgment, but then shouldn't you want The Chappelle Show and Key and Peele permanently taken off streaming, or at least contextualized in some way, because of the real world harm you think they do? But no one seems to believe that... — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@maxtis85 @jelani9 I can certainly think of negative stereotypes about black men that have real effects on violence, but I don't think there's any evidence or likelihood that Chappelle skits had that effect. Do you? — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@jelani9 1) a Black man performing in skits that portray negative stereotypes of Black men might get laughs that he doesn't want, or even reinforce negative stereotypes AND 2) jokes don't cause people to go out and perpetrate assaults ? — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@jelani9 I'm not sure this is especially powerful given that the harms being alleged are so different in a way that using the same word for both elides. You frame things as if Chappelle is being inconsistent. But can't one believe, without any contradiction, both that — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@MandHF In 2020, there were about 17,754 murder victims in the U.S.. About 14,146 were male, while just 3,573 were female. Do you think it follows that this is due in part to negative jokes about men? Or that comedians denigrate men more? Or might there be no connection to comedy? — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@MandHF Lucy, I think I can explain why statistics like the ones in the piece don't persuade most people in this debate by highlighting another statistic: — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@MandHF @AttilaTheLund @jelani9 Okay, instead of reflexively trusting the claims about harm from a member of a historically marginalized group, I will read this article and judge its arguments on their merits. Thanks for the link. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@MandHF @AttilaTheLund @jelani9 Lucy, Chappelle claims that the activists he is critiquing behaved in a harmful way that likely played a role in the suicide of his trans friend. Should I believe him because he belongs to a historically marginalized group and is claiming harm? Or should I ask for evidence? — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@TruthsandLies14 @ijbailey @CathyYoung63 @gbb317 @larisimilitude @NGrossman81 It at first seemed a point too obvious to raise to me, but I'll adjust my expectations next time. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@vituperativeerb @jelani9 No, I don't think he's making those claims, I know he'd see them my way. I'm using them to illustrate the point, which applies to the Chappelle case, that making his argument requires more than correctly noting the relative power — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@franklinleonard Well, if not, he and I don't disagree on that point. I read it that way, but I could definitely be wrong. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

That's not to say that Cobb is totally wrong--inflated claims of victimhood from the powerful absolutely can be wrongheaded and even dangerous. But you've got to make the fleshed out argument, not beg the question based on relative power along one dimension. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

If a meth-addicted homeless man stabs a middle class insurance adjuster to death outside her home, is she his victim? Was Princess Diana the victim of the paparazzi? Can teen hackers victimize millionaire actresses? Power dynamics are tremendously complicated and dynamic. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

The implication seems to be that it's inherently suspicious or problematic for someone with more power to claim to be the victim of someone with less power. Let's test that general view. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

One other line from that piece on The Closer that's worth unpacking: https://t.co/fKhQwOVpkP — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@edgerrish It is possible that comedy has less capacity for harm than drama, so maybe it is a unicorn. Why isn't it possible for comedy to be unique? Isn't it along other dimensions? — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@TruthsandLies14 @ijbailey @CathyYoung63 @gbb317 @larisimilitude @NGrossman81 tell us something important, but not specifically that *the exact same thing* or *something equally bad or worse* is happening. That's why. And with that, I am done explaining what was clear immediately to most readers of the piece. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@TruthsandLies14 @ijbailey @CathyYoung63 @gbb317 @larisimilitude @NGrossman81 I have addressed it. The comparison is included because the author's view is that, while not as alarming as the CR, the GA is similar along important and relevant dimensions--tragedy repeating as farce, if you'd like to map it onto a common claim. The claim is that the resonances — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@edgerrish No one has ever demonstrated harm caused by *any* comedy special, as far as I know. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

@TruthsandLies14 @ijbailey @CathyYoung63 @gbb317 @larisimilitude @NGrossman81 Sorry, after engaging in good faith for hours with you, I am damned sure not going to react to the prompt, *answer this or I'll call you evasive* by politely answering. — PolitiTweet.org

Conor Friedersdorf @conor64

the vagueness of the claim about harm here is precisely the kind of thing that makes chilling effects worse, in contrast to *don't depict suicide in these specific ways*, which is a much less chilling norm because of its narrowness and specificity. — PolitiTweet.org