The moment I realized I was piling on without reading the full story

I saw a tweet about a small bakery owner in Austin who supposedly refused service to a trans customer. I jumped into the comments with everyone else, sharing outrage and calling for a boycott. Then a friend who lives nearby told me the full backstory. Turns out the customer had cursed out the owner's elderly mom during a previous visit, and the owner had asked them to leave for that reason, not their identity. I deleted my post fast, but it made me realize how quick I am to judge based on a single headline. Has anyone else caught themselves joining a cancel mob before checking the facts?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_tessa7d ago

3 years ago I blindly shared a post about a vegan restaurant in Portland supposedly being racist, only to find out the video was from a different place entirely. My cousin actually works there and she was so hurt seeing all the angry comments about something that never happened. Now I try to at least skim three sources before I even type a reply, how do you fact check yourself when you feel that first surge of anger?

the_leo7d ago

Hey @the_tessa, that must have felt AWFUL to find out, especially with your cousin involved. I've been THERE, man. The other day I saw a post about a local coffee shop kicking out a kid for no reason, and my blood BOILED. I caught myself typing a whole angry paragraph before I stopped and actually looked at the video details. Turned out the shop was closed that day, it was a different place down the street. Now I do the same as you: I take a deep breath, close the tab for a minute, and then come back with a clear head. It's the only way I don't make things worse for people like your cousin.