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by chipotle_coyote 1740 days ago
Definitely an interesting article. Have a clap or two. (I have no idea what that's worth on Medium anymore.)

I haven't encountered this specific group before, but I've definitely run into the "we want to believe the worst of our enemies" mindset, when I got into an argument with an earnest, well-meaning Bernie Sanders supporter who came across an obviously tongue-in-cheek Joe Biden pinup coloring book during the 2020 primaries (I mean, how can you read "Joe Biden pinup coloring book" and immediately go "oh, this is a joke") and was angrily denouncing it on Twitter as "this is what Biden supporters really believe." I pointed out that there is, in fact, a 2016 Bernie Sanders pinup coloring book, and was met with, more or less, "Yes, but that's obviously a joke." Yes. Yes, it is. Sigh.

2 comments

I enjoyed your essay. I felt the C.S. Lewis quote was quite apropos.

One thing I'm not sure comes through is that the trolls are actually doing us a service by exposing the absurdity of that particular law, or whatever else the focus their attention on. What they pretended to be is entirely plausible, and because of human nature, will almost assuredly happen for real under that particular law. It's just too easy - you're in a bad relationship, trying to find a way out, she gets pregnant, gets an abortion, and you use the opportunity to break up and make some dough. Will that happen a lot? Probably not. Will it happen? I'd be willing to bet on it. It's that gray in the C.S. Lewis quote - there is always some black in it, more or less.

I think of the trolls more as bellweathers than anything else. They're just helping us see the logical extremes of what is going on.

Did you leave a word out here:

> I mean, how can you read "Joe Biden pinup coloring book" and immediately go "oh, this is a joke")

Should read and not immediately?

You are correct! I am ___ always the best proofreader. :)