I’d be curious which politician was saying this as it seems out of touch.

When I see that kind of thing online, though, it’s not like I shrivel up and get in the fetal position under my desk; I’m almost stereotypically Gen X in that I came up analog, spent lots of time alone and without adult supervision - both outdoors and indoors, dealt with plenty of (physical) bullying and fights, cut my teeth on BBSes and Usenet, learned and helped build out many things related to the Internet, and spent plenty of time seeing and taking part in political arguments online, and so when I get some nonsense from someone playing the Oppression Olympics game I just shake my head and usually laugh - it’s not my first rodeo. Then I block/ignore them for the most part. Or if it’s a place like what Boing Boing’s BBS chat forum eventually became, I just move on, since it was being moderated by that type and having any sane discussion there is a non-starter.

But the important part is - I’m not having my political stance get pushed away from progressive politics because of fools like that, mostly because I’m older and didn’t come to where I am without a lot of reading and life experiences and listening to older generations, etc.

But I do worry about people that are younger, and never knew a pre-digital time and are just trying to find their way politically, in a time where most of the “third spaces” are increasingly disappearing and most things are done online ( and kept in archives forever). If some of their first experiences involve running into a little cadre of these types? I fear they may turn to alt-right/red pill spaces, which are going to do the typical cult thing, which is to love-bomb them and validate all of their grievances, even the unfounded and unhealthy ones.