>Huh? I was just expanding on your comment about not knowing what people were expecting you to do about systemic problems - I wasn't attacking you.

That's as may be, but you focused on a single sentence ("I have no control over what other people do, think or say. What other stance can I take?") in my comment and ignored everything else I wrote.

You then deigned to forgive me (and 300+ million other people) my ignorance.

   ...a lack of familiarity with institutional or 
   systemic change made me think you might be 
   missing that option. That's not a criticism; it's 
   really common in the US.

How gracious of you.

I'll wait with bated breath for your next brilliant missive.

I'm sorry if I offended you - I didn't mean for that to come across as patronising or as some kind of sanctimonious forgiving of sin, I was just wary that a lot of people tend to get their backs up around the topic of systemic problems and wanted to be clear that I wasn't attacking you. You did also literally say "what other stance could I take?" which I interpreted as meaning you didn't know your options for helping combat systemic problems.

> you focused on a single sentence [...] in my comment and ignored everything else I wrote.

I did address you saying the $20 thing was hyperbole, but I guess I'm not sure what you wanted me to add to the rest? You said you misinterpreted GP's comment - okay? What am I to add to that? It's not much of a prompt for discussion.

>You did also literally say "what other stance could I take?" which I interpreted as meaning you didn't know your options for helping combat systemic problems.

And you interpreted that incorrectly.

the "stance" I take (in this case, support for the equal rights and equal opporunities of all) is the stance of one who doesn't have governmental or corporate power to directly impact change other than my behavior and my advocacy.

You interpreted what I said to mean that I'm powerless to effect any change. Which is unfortunate since not only is that not true, I neither said nor implied anything of the sort.

All that said, I suspect we're, in large part, in violent agreement on this topic.

Go back and read the comment[0] to which you originally replied. You'll see that it makes clear what I think.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30608880

I feel like I didn't interpret you incorrectly, because while I missed that it was a rhetorical question, I didn't miss that you didn't list a single way to affect systemic change outside of voting - which is to say that you have an individualist perspective on systemic change. That's why I listed those other options for action - because let's be real here, US electoral politics is a corporate duopoly between a neoliberal party and a vaguely conservative, trending towards fascistic party, neither of which are known for advancing social progress (because the Democrats are wilfully incompetent). Thus, things like BLM protesting for rights or the progressive caucus of the Democrats smuggling actual progressives into Congress. All I wanted to highlight was that real political change happens outside the ballot box, and even though we don't have the power to enact change by fiat the way the powerful do, we can do things beyond just voting and trying to be good people individually, to advance progressive causes. That was all I was trying to say - I do think we're in agreement broadly speaking (though beyond being a progressive I'm also an anarchist, so perhaps we differ there).

>I didn't miss that you didn't list a single way to affect systemic change outside of voting - which is to say that you have an individualist perspective on systemic change. That's why I listed those other options for action

My apologies for not listing every possible activity. I'll make sure to write a Phd thesis here in future.

As for the rest of your paranoid (and condescending) blather, I can do without it. From now on, I will.

Alright, I thought we were having a mutual conversation but it was your decision to get offended and act like an asshole, so do what you will.