On stirred-up controversies

wesleychent@gmail.com (Wesley Chen) — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 21:49:47 -0800

I hate these stirred-up controversies that keep popping up. Last Saturday, US soccer player Megan Rapinoe made an off-hand joke post-match, commenting that because she tore her achilles six minutes into what might be her final game ever, then “If there was a God, this is proof that there isn’t.” Predictably, this harmless joke spawned multiple hate threads on Reddit, with soccer fans taking her statement as evidence that she’s “a real narcissistic asshole”, “a thoroughly unpleasant woman” who’s “not very bright either”, and “the most unlikeable footballer in footballing history”. Obviously, these people weren’t seriously offended by Rapinoe’s joke—they already hated her and are looking for ways to manufacture a scandal. This is what I call a stirred-up controversy—a controversy that has roots in a real event, but reaches unwarranted levels of fervor.

"I don’t vote because it doesn’t matter"

wesleychent@gmail.com (Wesley Chen) — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 21:14:27 -0800

The 2023 general election seems to have passed over District 3 like a warm breeze. Off the back of a campaign focused on public safety and endorsements from the local business community, business owner Joy Hollingsworth cleanly defeated transit activist Alex Hudson by a little over 2000 votes. To many Seattle residents, these results don’t matter. A recurring theme in the lead-up to election night was that the candidates seemed indistinguishable. They’re both progressive-leaning, support increased affordable housing, take a mental-health approach to drug addiction, and want to increase services to address homelessness.

ELECTIVE DISPOSITIONS on studio waslo

On stirred-up controversies

"I don’t vote because it doesn’t matter"