If you think you have nothing to fear from the TWITTER MOB, think again
In the months leading up to the publication of my collection of essays, The Souls of Yellow Folk, I would occasionally muse about the ways I might be ambushed online. I imagined certain passages of my work being torn from context, screenshotted, placed on threads, and annotated with murmurous insinuations. I envisioned them juxtaposed against inflammatory material from unrelated sources, meant to establish an associative link in readers’ minds. So begins the online inquisition.
After several years of doing more lurking than posting on Twitter, I became well acquainted with the distinctive rhythms of these confrontations. Sometimes they were spontaneous. Sometimes they appeared to be coordinated in advance. Sometimes they ensnared celebrities for attempts at transgressive humor (Kevinillustration: C.J. Robinson Hart and James Gunn). Sometimes they captured minor toilers within the clickbait industry for private conduct (Jack Smith IV, an online writer whose woke branding diverged from his personal life). Neither fame nor obscurity protects you.
Sometimes there were accusations labeled as sexual misconduct (Sherman Alexie). Sometimes there was merely a pattern of uncouth behavior (Junot Díaz). Some involved protest in physical space and the publication of manifestos, such as the one calling for a painting of Emmett Till to be destroyed. I paid particular attention to what became of journalists who ran afoul of the progressive consensus (Kevin Williamson and Quinn Norton, hired and swiftly fired by The Atlantic and the New York Times editorial board, respectively, after pushback on Twitter) because I knew myself to be critical of certain aspects of this consensus.
This story is from the May 2019 edition of Esquire.
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This story is from the May 2019 edition of Esquire.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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