A mechanism or tactic · 2005 · Internet
Fighting about a stranger in a reply section
A disagreement conducted entirely in good faith about a person none of the participants have met, using the vocabulary of a personal grievance.
A parasocial relationship conducted in public with a complete stranger, and the argument is never about the stranger. The people with the strongest feelings are the most likely to be drawn in, which is the same property that makes fandoms work.
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