Read the room to avoid the drama
Reductive criticism thrown at overgeneralised population, followed by calling out of said population for insufficient recognition of context.
“Not all overgeneralised population” responds someone, giving their lived experience in response to criticism about insufficient recognition of context.
“You’ve #MissedThePoint” responds OP (with a long personal track record of frustration with being stereotyped) dismissing the lived experience as irrelevant.
Twitter interactions fall into common patterns or structures. The one above I’m seeing really quite often, and people I know getting sucked in and hurt. So I’ve been reflecting on how they might avoid it.
Before you jump in, read the room. Who has this been written for, what is the writer trying to make them think or feel, what is the nature of the discussion.
Don’t be fooled by its digital nature. Read the interactions and imagine what the face-to-face analogous situation would be, in order to decide what your contribution (if any) should be.
A message might be the rallying cry for a protest movement. In real life, few people would climb onto a stage or platform and espouse a dissenting view in front of a fired up crowd. Why would you do this online?
That tweet might be the opening gambit in debate club — where assertive, even polarised debate is sought and people are looking for a win. But remember that’s an established group with its own dynamic and existing norms — you might be welcome to join in, but only if you abide by their rules and etiquette.
The OP might genuinely be trying to start an an open discussion — treat this as an intended as a starter for ten in an unconference workshop, where respectful exploration of topics & collaborative building on each others’ thoughts is expected. Behave accordingly.
Or you might have stumbled into a personal conversation — someone sharing a view or an experience with their support network. Treat this as you would eavesdropping — you wouldn’t push yourself into a conversation overheard on a bus or coffee shop, so if you suspect this is a small group of friends talking about personal experiences, stay quiet and move on.
In short, read the room to avoid the drama.
