3 ms·

Top comment (“above”) currently reads “ Similar archive of clips + streams from the George Floyd protests”. That was posted 40 minutes before your comment, as

Top comment (“above”) currently reads “ Similar archive of clips + streams from the George Floyd protests”. That was posted 40 minutes before your comment, as the very first comment. Yeah, it’s a different thread. Still hard to miss as context for a good-faith interpretation of the comment you’re replying to. Which I believe we do do here.

mustacheemperor 6y ago
I was responding with that context. A user noted there is a 'similar archive' for both events. Another user noted both groups delete self-incriminating evidence. The user I replied to fired off a response I thought would have been appropriate if someone in the thread had actually said anything remotely like "antifa rioters are just as bad" or "just as much incriminating evidence was probably deleted after the George Floyd protests." I think a key thing is I didn't read "similar archive" to mean "an archive of illegal activity by non-police", I took it to mean "an archive of all the stuff that happened that people would want to delete." In the case of the George Floyd protests, often police brutality deleted by PDs, their supporters, etc. I'm not intending some 'both sides' equivocation here. I'm saying I didn't see the people I replied to further up the thread as making that equivocation, I saw them as saying: People who record themselves doing something incriminating will probably delete it after. My goal was to say: hey, take a beat. We don't need a flamewar over this yet. Reading now, I can see how someone could read that to mean I am sympathetic to the notion that the BLM protests or George Floyd protests included groups of criminals or people behaving criminally in a way that is comparable to yesterday's events, so let me make it clear in bold point type that I do NOT. It is possible those users did intend to draw that equivocation, which I think would be completely wrong of them. I am not remotely attempting to defend the actions of the rioters yesterday or to in any way characterize the George Floyd protests or BLM protests at large as remotely comparable or equivocal to the riots yesterday. I am not parroting a 'both sides' talking point. I am reiterating this a lot, because I got a lot of hatemail for this comment. The only thing I am saying is: Most human beings who record themselves doing something they afterwards find dumb or incriminating will be likely to delete it. A user pointing out that two different political factions contain human beings subject to common human behaviors does not necessarily justify a political flamewar. I understand why that was read differently by some users, so in hindsight I should have just downvoted the flamebait and moved on as usual.

mustacheemperor 6y ago

I was responding with that context. A user noted there is a 'similar archive' for both events. Another user noted both groups delete self-incriminating evidence. The user I replied to fired off a response I thought would have been appropriate if someone in the thread had actually said anything remotely like "antifa rioters are just as bad" or "just as much incriminating evidence was probably deleted after the George Floyd protests." I think a key thing is I didn't read "similar archive" to mean "an archive of illegal activity by non-police", I took it to mean "an archive of all the stuff that happened that people would want to delete." In the case of the George Floyd protests, often police brutality deleted by PDs, their supporters, etc. I'm not intending some 'both sides' equivocation here. I'm saying I didn't see the people I replied to further up the thread as making that equivocation, I saw them as saying: People who record themselves doing something incriminating will probably delete it after. My goal was to say: hey, take a beat. We don't need a flamewar over this yet. Reading now, I can see how someone could read that to mean I am sympathetic to the notion that the BLM protests or George Floyd protests included groups of criminals or people behaving criminally in a way that is comparable to yesterday's events, so let me make it clear in bold point type that I do NOT. It is possible those users did intend to draw that equivocation, which I think would be completely wrong of them. I am not remotely attempting to defend the actions of the rioters yesterday or to in any way characterize the George Floyd protests or BLM protests at large as remotely comparable or equivocal to the riots yesterday. I am not parroting a 'both sides' talking point. I am reiterating this a lot, because I got a lot of hatemail for this comment. The only thing I am saying is: Most human beings who record themselves doing something they afterwards find dumb or incriminating will be likely to delete it. A user pointing out that two different political factions contain human beings subject to common human behaviors does not necessarily justify a political flamewar. I understand why that was read differently by some users, so in hindsight I should have just downvoted the flamebait and moved on as usual.