[Arthanos]

This comment is everything wrong with media literacy. It's absolutely worthwhile to cover highly public calls to violence of government officials by respected individuals with lots of power and the article makes it clear he personally did not send the letters. But denying that public calls to violence spurs actual violence is denial of basic cause and effect.

[timr]

> It's absolutely worthwhile to cover highly public calls to violence of government officials by respected individuals with lots of power

I mean, sure...who are you arguing with? I didn't say nobody should cover this. I said this article is terrible.

> But denying that public calls to violence spurs actual violence is denial of basic cause and effect.

Yeah, except we have laws around this concept, and even if what you're saying were true in the US (it isn't, thankfully), it doesn't magicaly make hack journalism good.

Said differently, "incitement to violence" doesn't mean that missionlocal is high-minded and mature for spending two articles talking about the price of his liquor.

[notahacker]

> Said differently, "incitement to violence" doesn't mean that missionlocal is high-minded and mature for spending two articles talking about the price of his liquor.

Garry Tan chose to flaunt the high-end liquor bottles and "Twitter menace" plaque ahead of his sort-of-apology, not missionlocal.

Only one of the articles (not the one linked) refers to them at all. The other one focuses more on the hate mail some idiot decided to send being a screenshot of Tan's original tweet, and both of them are pretty clear about it being a rap lyric.

Kind of hard to argue with a straight face that the real problem with the YC CEO acting like a not-very-smart bro influencer even in his sort-of-apology is that some local rag journalist didn't spare the embarrassing detail.

Sure, Tan was probably more interested in highlighting the "twitter menace" plaque than the fairly expensive liquor and unremarkably-priced wine, but celebrities flaunting wealth with a laughing emoji as a "fuck you" to their critics is a well established trope, and I don't think high-minded, mature journalism is about taking the most sympathetic interpretation possible of bro silliness.

[timr]

> not-very-smart bro influencer

Is this really necessary? Let he who has made no mistakes (particularly when drunk) cast the first stone.

[notahacker]

More necessary than the sneer quotes you applied to the "journalist", yes. If I say dumb stuff when drunk and then muff the initial apology (when presumably sober) I wouldn't expect people to sugar coat it either.

Garry clearly isn't too stupid or desperate for clicks to do any better, and so I'm afraid I'm going to have to continue to disagree that we should save our ridicule for his critics.

[timr]

I stand by the "sneer quotes". Having actually taken journalism classes in my life, I would be ashamed to put my name to that article.