Comment by throwaway654329

> … I didn't acknowledge the majesty of the argument I had been confronted with.

Gee, thanks, I think. Sorry to say we don’t agree on your summary of my comment.

> Filippo Valsorda wrote a tweet that included a meme from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia"

From this, we already have serious disagreements. It’s part of a series of tweets amplified by others. It isn’t a single tweet in isolation even when we only look at the direct author. We do agree on the source of the clip, though I think you weren’t familiar with the background of the subject parodied in the clip as I raised it. Perhaps you do not believe it or perhaps you think that the parody somehow erases what was parodied originally. Reasonable people can read it many ways.

> That meme is a parody of "A Beautiful Mind"

There are many memes with text included, though this was a video, and it seems clearly a parody of Nash from that film. Here is one example meme that I did not create: https://me.me/i/mathematician-john-nash-during-a-schizophren...

> John Nash was mentally ill

Yep. The implication of using such a meme to punch down is mirrored in the words of the related tweets calling him a conspiracy theorist. This wasn’t as you tried to say, a single tweet, it’s presented in a context that is harsh, and condemning.

> John Nash was virulently anti-semitic

Maybe, it’s unclear if it was a byproduct of his mental illness or a sincerely held belief. It’s a third rail, regardless. I won’t hold a mentally ill person accountable for stuff they say during an episode, and I also won’t use it as a joke.

> Ergo, Filippo Valsorda is both bigoted against the mentally ill, and also an anti-semite.

This isn’t my claim. My claim is that it’s completely inappropriate on many levels to post not only that meme but to use it in tandem with direct personal attacks on Bernstein. This seems especially relevant in a thread supposedly about damaging behavior of other people in the community.

I would prefer you don’t cover for mental health stigmatization or antisemitic dog whistling even a tiny bit, especially if it was not intended. Painting me as crazy for my analysis is shitty. You asked me to bring some light and then attack me for sharing my actual thoughts. You didn’t acknowledge my insight about Jewish names, either. Was that news to you? Dismissively omitting anything about that insight is weird.

Please leave no room for ambiguity here, it is a very dangerous time in the world, and in America, especially after the Tree of Life murders. There are many many other examples of terrible stuff like that - and anything that even remotely smells like that must be immediately challenged in my view. No doubt this personal context makes myself and others extra sensitive. That is exactly why I explained my understanding of the meaning.

I am happy to provide an analysis of Homer Simpson memes in context if it can help us break the ice and not end this thread on hard or hateful terms.