evan

evan, 5 days ago

@LALegault maybe they can impeach the Hague.

evan, 5 days ago

@fifilamoura I mean, if they need a personalized invitation and a VIP entrance to the court at The Hague, I say we give it to them.

evan, 5 days ago

Friends, when I get accused of war crimes, I'd like you to say things like "Evan did not commit war crimes" instead of tone-policing the warrants.

evan, 5 days ago

@nasamuffin PEAK EXPERIENCE

evan, 6 days ago (edited 5 days ago)

But I also note that you are not a scholar of genocide. 800 of them signed a letter saying that there is a plausible chance we are seeing genocide in Gaza.

https://twailr.com/public-statement-scholars-warn-of-potential-genocide-in-gaza/

The International Court of Justice also said the war is a plausible genocide. And of course the International Criminal Court has brought indictments against the prime minister of Israel and the defense minister for crimes against humanity.

evan, 6 days ago (edited 5 days ago)

These are serious people and experts in their fields. Can you really say you're 100% sure that it's not a genocide? On what grounds?

And if it is, what have you done to America, its reputation, and its soul, by supporting the perpetrators of the genocide with money, weapons, and diplomatic cover?

Your nickname is now Genocide Joe. Aren't you ashamed of that? Even if you think it's untrue, knowing that millions of people associate you with the greatest crime imaginable.

evan, 6 days ago (edited 5 days ago)

Do you want future generations to remember you, to remember our country, for enabling and collaborating in genocide?

Mr. President, you're gambling with our collective legacy, and the fact that you're so certain of yourself gives me and other Americans pause. We think you don't see what we see; or maybe you see it and you don't care.

I voted for a man who would care.

evan, 5 days ago

@titaniumbiscuit thanks. I should note that it takes committed people giving money, time and energy to win an election. Millions of people are holding back that support because of Gaza.

evan, 5 days ago

@titaniumbiscuit Genocide is a jus cogens -- an imperative of the highest order. There is no higher priority. We must stop it at all costs. "Let Biden have a little genocide, he's a pretty good guy otherwise" is an unacceptable position. If you'd like to try to change someone's mind, I recommend talking to your own government officials about helping to find a path to peace.

evan, 6 days ago

@Flipboard thanks for the good work!

evan, 5 days ago

So, changing the subject is inherently hostile. You're telling someone that the topic they want to discuss doesn't matter, and you're going to hijack their thread -- and their reach -- to talk about something you care about instead.

I think it makes sense when replying to powerful people who are not paying attention to an urgent crisis -- telling a politician that Black Lives Matter, or telling an oil executive that climate change is real. This is good and necessary work.

evan, 5 days ago

You can also do it to less powerful people, but realize that it's hostile and you're likely to get negative reactions. When the maintainer of your favourite Open Source software package posts their vacation photos, it's a bad time to try to get them to look at your bug report.

evan, 5 days ago

If you have something you want to talk to a friend about ("this reminds me that I wanted to talk to you about..."), they might understand, but it sure is a lot nicer to just send a DM, or start a new public or followers-only thread.

If you're talking to a stranger, and it's not your goal to be hostile, don't do it.

I'd say: rarely.

evan, 5 days ago

@JMMaok is a social media post a conversation? I think in some cases it is -- like, to a group. But a lot of time it's an announcement, or a statement. I don't think it's symmetrical.

evan, 5 days ago

@TerryHancock I meant "change the subject" in the common vernacular meaning, that is, introducing a different topic, not in the technical meaning of the Subject: line of an email message.

evan, 5 days ago (edited 5 days ago)

@kasperd @kamstrup [deleted]

evan, 5 days ago

@brooke honestly I really thought "changing the subject" was a common idiom and clear in context but apparently not!

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/change_the_subject

evan, 5 days ago

@dneary there's an implicit "Who cares?" at the beginning of every reply that changes the subject.

evan, 5 days ago

@brooke no, absolute fair. I really should have whistled this question.

evan, 5 days ago

@kasperd @kamstrup

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/antisocial

evan, 5 days ago

@dneary perfectly reasonable! Do you notice at all when people do it with you?

evan, 5 days ago

@kasperd @kamstrup but, hey: I explicitly said that people who wanted to make a joke and change the subject could do that. So, it's definitely on me. Deleting my previous comment.

evan, 5 days ago

@ugurcan it wasn't.