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This fucking sucks. I know Justin personally, and to see the vitriol being spewed forth at him makes my stomach churn. His blog post was clearly written out of

This fucking sucks. I know Justin personally, and to see the vitriol being spewed forth at him makes my stomach churn. His blog post was clearly written out of frustration, and lacked nuance, but in no way does it justify the response it has received. None of these scathing articles or drive-by tweets are asking for clarification. Instead, his character is being assassinated as an extension of the growing fervor around income inequality and political correctness. If you have a problem with Justin's blog post, then write your own opinion about the problem and maybe highlight some potential solutions. Because if you're just using it as an opportunity to get your daily boost of self-righteousness you're just as complicate as the rest of us who are happy to go on about our daily lives ignoring problems like homelessness. Seriously, fuck all this misplaced outrage and fuck these kinds of character assassinations of people with differing opinions. We're entering an age where it will be impossible to take a position that goes against the mob's mentality. The chilling effect will be severe and we will all be worse for it.

mwnz 11y ago
As a tech worker living in San Francisco, his 'open letter' infuriated me. If anything, it makes my life here more difficult, and reflects poorly on the industry I work in. Unintended consequence? Probably. But I will happily vent my frustration with his callousness, lack of tact and compassion, just as he vented his frustrations.
- marknutter 11y ago
  Then fucking ask to meet with him and tell him how you feel. Get his perspective. Find out if he meant what you think he meant or if he was just misunderstood. And if you're still angry then, let him have it face to face instead of behind some pseudonym on the internet. Pray you never post anything that draws the ire of the mob, lest you become the whipping boy of dozens of nationally syndicated columnists and thousands of spineless social media bullies, some of which who threaten you actual, physical harm. My guess is, if you're actually bold enough to meet him in person, you'll soften your position. If not, then good for you, at least you had the conviction to remain angry.
  - mwnz 11y ago
    Just as he took the time to speak to Ed Lee? I think you need to chill out a bit.
felixgallo 11y ago
the 'mob' you're talking about is called 'civilization'. It's not 'growing fervor around [...] political correctness' that is driving the outrage; it's the deep-rooted, long-standing fervor about maintaining the minimum standard of being an empathetic, decent human being, which your friend has failed. It's possible to write a letter to the mayor demanding solutions. It's possible to roll up your sleeves and try to do something, to marshal some force, to push the rock uphill a little for your fellow man. It's also possible to write a whiny letter demanding that the homeless be made to vanish. Which did your friend do? Which would you rather he did?
- marknutter 11y ago
  > the 'mob' you're talking about is called 'civilization'. Really? Because it doesn't feel very civilized to me. It's a public lynching. You can express your differing opinion about the problem and the potential solutions, but to spend the majority of an article publicly ridiculing someone for a poorly worded expression of frustration is completely disgusting. > It's not 'growing fervor around [...] political correctness' that is driving the outrage; it's the deep-rooted, long-standing fervor about maintaining the minimum standard of being an empathetic, decent human being, which your friend has failed. well it's at least as misplaced as Justin's article was. Justin, and people like him, are not the root of the problem. Attack the problem, attack the solution, but don't attack the people who point out the problems or propose the solutions. It may help you feel self-righteous, but it's not productive.
  - rodgerd 11y ago
    > It's a public lynching. This is hysterical nonsense and makes you look deranged.
    - dang 11y ago
      I think that's excessive. marknutter's comments were passionate and yes he was venting. But the key concept in what he wrote—"daily boost of self-righteousness"—is absolutely a thing, and unawareness of it makes all of this much worse.
civilian 11y ago
I'm with you, the witchhunts need to end. Even if the bluetribe is correct in their beliefs, the mob action is not persuasive. I have less respect than ever for liberals because of this disrespectful way of handling public discourse.
- dang 11y ago
  It's a mistake to see this phenomenon as bound to any political position. It's a human trait and we all do it, we just do it about different things.
  - civilian 11y ago
    I agree that it's not bound to any political position, but it's more egregious with the left right now. Or possibly, based off of my media consumption, I only see the left's witchunts and I'm insulated from the right's.

mwnz 11y ago

As a tech worker living in San Francisco, his 'open letter' infuriated me. If anything, it makes my life here more difficult, and reflects poorly on the industry I work in. Unintended consequence? Probably. But I will happily vent my frustration with his callousness, lack of tact and compassion, just as he vented his frustrations.

marknutter 11y ago
Then fucking ask to meet with him and tell him how you feel. Get his perspective. Find out if he meant what you think he meant or if he was just misunderstood. And if you're still angry then, let him have it face to face instead of behind some pseudonym on the internet. Pray you never post anything that draws the ire of the mob, lest you become the whipping boy of dozens of nationally syndicated columnists and thousands of spineless social media bullies, some of which who threaten you actual, physical harm. My guess is, if you're actually bold enough to meet him in person, you'll soften your position. If not, then good for you, at least you had the conviction to remain angry.
- mwnz 11y ago
  Just as he took the time to speak to Ed Lee? I think you need to chill out a bit.

felixgallo 11y ago

the 'mob' you're talking about is called 'civilization'. It's not 'growing fervor around [...] political correctness' that is driving the outrage; it's the deep-rooted, long-standing fervor about maintaining the minimum standard of being an empathetic, decent human being, which your friend has failed. It's possible to write a letter to the mayor demanding solutions. It's possible to roll up your sleeves and try to do something, to marshal some force, to push the rock uphill a little for your fellow man. It's also possible to write a whiny letter demanding that the homeless be made to vanish. Which did your friend do? Which would you rather he did?

marknutter 11y ago
> the 'mob' you're talking about is called 'civilization'. Really? Because it doesn't feel very civilized to me. It's a public lynching. You can express your differing opinion about the problem and the potential solutions, but to spend the majority of an article publicly ridiculing someone for a poorly worded expression of frustration is completely disgusting. > It's not 'growing fervor around [...] political correctness' that is driving the outrage; it's the deep-rooted, long-standing fervor about maintaining the minimum standard of being an empathetic, decent human being, which your friend has failed. well it's at least as misplaced as Justin's article was. Justin, and people like him, are not the root of the problem. Attack the problem, attack the solution, but don't attack the people who point out the problems or propose the solutions. It may help you feel self-righteous, but it's not productive.
- rodgerd 11y ago
  > It's a public lynching. This is hysterical nonsense and makes you look deranged.
  - dang 11y ago
    I think that's excessive. marknutter's comments were passionate and yes he was venting. But the key concept in what he wrote—"daily boost of self-righteousness"—is absolutely a thing, and unawareness of it makes all of this much worse.

civilian 11y ago

I'm with you, the witchhunts need to end. Even if the bluetribe is correct in their beliefs, the mob action is not persuasive. I have less respect than ever for liberals because of this disrespectful way of handling public discourse.

dang 11y ago
It's a mistake to see this phenomenon as bound to any political position. It's a human trait and we all do it, we just do it about different things.
- civilian 11y ago
  I agree that it's not bound to any political position, but it's more egregious with the left right now. Or possibly, based off of my media consumption, I only see the left's witchunts and I'm insulated from the right's.