Thread by @lluaces

1/ I wouldn't recommend listening to this. I did thinking there'd be an apology. There wasn't and she refused directly when asked. I'm writing as I'm reading it. The overall take "it's more complicated" is empty when the complicating factors wouldn't change the interpretation

https://twitter.com/bariweiss/status/1422573945803493376

2/ It is contextualizing her as being scared of being alone with Christian Cooper adding context like she may be immunocompromised or she was sexually assaulted. There are also implications that the event was framed as racist *because* of #GeorgeFloyd

3/ (as if we wouldn't frame it as racist otherwise). A "smoking gun" is that "Mr. Cooper instigated the encounter" and that he's had similar encounters where he used dog treats to motivate people to leash their dogs. This was known before! If you believe he used these treats,

4/ you would also believe his aim (i.e., not to "threaten someone's life" but literally to get people to leash their dogs). Several times they repeat that "he was known to hold his helmet in a threatening way." If you assume that people are intimidated by black/brown men then

5/ he's basically just holding a helmet. An overall lesson they discuss is "the media doesn't cover things with nuance." No duh. Look at the way you all covered the consequences to Amy Cooper without equally attending to the potential consequences for Christian Cooper.

6/ The "contrarian" conclusion is that in the interest of fairness we are going too far ("a mob getting what they wanted"). This is not a contrarian opinion it's a tired trope. Ignoring that some of the reasoning is bananas (e.g., she became afraid when *he* appeared afraid)

7/ And, for some reason, they attempt to play it as if she had no idea about the history of race relations in the U.S. and the possibility that his life was under threat. (Charitably maybe she was responding as if she didn't know about the Emmett Till). Honestly, this just

8/ reassured me that Amy Cooper is probably a Karen and she'd do it again if she had the chance. In fact, she says something to that effect ("I had no choice"). Her first words to Christian Cooper? "You scared me."