By that I mean the "I am a feminist and you just triggered me" style of :stupidpol: posting on :reddit-logo: , on numerous game chats, and so on.
There's many versions, from "did you just assume my gender?" to "all white people are evil" to "I don't want to work. That's why I am a leftist" and many more.
Sure, I often say "that's bait" but there's often a lot of enthusiastic barking from :so-true: when the reactionary dog whistle is blown so that doesn't seem to do much.
Ideas?
Ceding online territory doesn't seem like a sustainable strategy, and it also sounds bit too much like the "if you don't like (ruinously bad product that is ruining the Earth a little bit faster) don't buy it" talking point.
if you must interact with them, no kind of debate or canned responses will make you look reasonable to onlookers. You're both going to look like hogs wrestling in shit, so you may as well have fun with it. Respond to everything they say with "shut up, nerd" and then something applicable to the situation. Like I'll respond to antivax folks with "Shut up, nerd. Get vaccinated." or if it's a reactionary, with "shut up you fucking fascist nerd." Continue responding with the same thing over and over because they're insecure and won't give you the last word unless they're one of the smarter ones. (They usually aren't one of the smarter ones)
Unflinching childish insults have usually worked for me. I tend to get them so riled up they respond with a racial slur or they call me gay. Revealing internet chuds in the wild as bigots will either get them banned from whatever platform you're on or make them look like idiots to onlookers. So there's my serious advice.
"Shut up, nerd" is actually pretty effective; I've seen strangers use it and it does shut up :le-pol-face: sometimes.
The best case scenario I've seen is when :le-pol-face: loses his temper and goes full :frothingfash: while strangers start laughing at him that were quiet previously while his mask falls further and further away, calling everyone slurs and having a meltdown about how they should all be purged or whatever.
Yes, you got it. Get them to the point of :frothingfash:
Most have the capacity within them. It's always hilarious and it will cause otherwise politically unaffiliated people to see them as lunatics. Or they'll get banned and their accounts deleted, which is also hilarious.
Sometimes I've seen someone say "yeah I'm gay. What about it?" and the mask falls off instantly.