I fought some bullies today and I won

I had an interesting interaction with some GamerGate bullies today. They were trying to bully a game reporter I follow on Twitter and I called them out on it. At first, they turned their scorn and bile on me. But I continued talking to them. I asked them to explain, to justify their hostility. When they attacked me, I told them I wasn't interested in a fight, but I wanted to hear what they had to say, in their own words. I asked them to convince me of their righteousness, making it clear I disagreed from the onset. They talked of many things, but they stopped shouting, they stopped attacking, they stopped harassing. The violence stopped, for a moment out there. I showed them a modicum of compassion, and listened. We had a discussion, we did not agree, but there was civility, and in the end they were complimenting me. I fought some bullies today and I won, I feel very good about that.

Anonymous