I miss when the internet was a place I went to in the comfort of my house and that I could walk away from effortlessly instead of a horrible phantom that followed me everywhere I went and tried to possess my fridge for some reason.

Fantastic, reminds me of a certain DVD case photo i.imgur.com/5d9wVEx.jpeg

Well, you're a lovely individual.

I'll just leave this thread here and wish you a day that's precisely as nice as you are. ♥ (And a very happy block.)

x.com/ClaireMCorle...

Thankfully nope, that was debunked (by the very woman people were claiming was the victim - i.e. his wife, who is 25 - among others): bsky.app/profile/theq...

You're free to think it's weird, but maybe save the word "groomer" for actual groomers instead of a consenting adult couple who are 25 and 34... (the horror!😱)

You also don't have to care what *I* have to say, but thought you might value what the alleged victim herself had to say. 🤷‍♂️

bsky.app/profile/theq...

(Oh, congrats on being my first block on Bluesky, btw! You don't win anything, but good effort.)

Everything I'm saying is factual, informed, and thought-out.

Meanwhile, you came in with a foregone conclusion ("Gabe bad") and enough projection to fill an IMAX theater. The facts are out there for all who care to read and get informed. I'll be blocking and moving on; have a great day.

> "Hanging out with her"
*Working* with her *and her family* (and Michelle's family). The families wouldn't have allowed it if anything weird was going on.

They didn't start dating until she was 20, and *she* asked *him* out.

Frankly, all this talking over her and speaking for her reeks of misogyny and infantilization.

As in, "oh honey, you ARE a victim, you just don't know it. We know better than you."

(Not talking about you specifically, but this entire pattern.)

Whatever happened to "listen to victims"?

She is literally the person who people keep claiming is the victim.

If the "victim" (a grown-ass woman) tells you it's not true...then it's not true.

The burden of proof is on the people making the accusation anyway.

She + Michelle explained everything. For fuller context: x.com/colubird/sta...

If you really care, try to resolve things quietly, privately, behind the scenes...

Or go about your day and stay out of it, because it's likely way more complex and nuanced than you know.

And remember the human being on the other side of the screen (who is also more complex than you're imagining).

I know it feels good in the short run to join an online hate/cancellation mob. You feel like you're in the right, a hero, fighting this (imaginary) monster. But it's not the real them; it's the version of them in your head, based on what little you've heard about them through the grapevine.

Please understand: not that it should matter, but this is all coming from a progressive liberal who absolutely used to be part of the "always believe victims" camp. But that falls apart when victims of slander/libel aren't "real" victims & you can't believe them AND their accusers (contradiction).

This can be anything from unfounded -ism/-phobia accusations (or the similar "this person's a literal n*zi/fascist because I disagree with them on something"), to more serious potentially criminal offenses like grooming and the like.

I've seen this happen to so many good people over the last 4-5 years, and it just keeps happening. I keep thinking maybe the internet will finally learn - and to be fair, more people seem to be skeptical than before, but there's still way too many blind believers of serious accusations.

It's even worse when a person spreading false accusations is shown direct evidence that they're wrong and chooses to double down instead of just admitting they got it wrong, apologizing, deleting, etc.

You didn't have to take a side, but you did; at least own it if you get it wrong.

I know a common response to that is, "but if you choose silence, you're choosing the side of the oppressor!"
But that doesn't work when you don't know who's telling the truth. If it's a false accusation, the accuser is the oppressor, and the victim of the slander/libel is the oppressed.