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PaperclipPerfector  7d ago (text post)   24025 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 27, 2025

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Another Chotiner classic, of him interviewing the President of the SFUSD school board:

https://web.archive.org/web/20250215094922/https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-san-francisco-renamed-its-schools

Chotiner: So none of the errors that I read to you about previous entries made you worried that maybe this was done in a slightly haphazard way?

Gabriela Lopez: No, because I’ve already shared with you that the people who have contributed to this process are also part of a community that is taking it as seriously as we would want them to. And they’re contributing through diverse perspectives and experiences that are often not included, and that we need to acknowledge.

Chotiner: I’m not quite sure what that means when we are talking about things that did or didn’t happen.

Lopez: I think what you’re pointing to and what I keep hearing is you’re trying to undermine the work that has been done through this process. And I’m moving away from the idea that it was haphazard.

This is about as hostile as he ever gets. His specialty is asking a question, getting nonsense back, asking what do you mean, and leading the interviewee to a total trainwreck.

I think theres a self selection mechanism going on where people who are aware that they have rope to hang around themselves know better than to be Chotinered. Those who are too stupid to realize they are entrappable don't show up. It is entirely possible that these people being interviewed aren't aware of their reputational flameout during the interview with ostensibly friendly New Yorker and then are blindsided that people think they're coming across as retarded once the piece is published. No how can you think I'm wrong can't you see the strength of my conviction?

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