You probably know that James Gunn, director of the two Guardians of the Galaxy films, was fired by Disney when some of his old tweets came to light. The tweets contained offensive jokes about rape and pedophilia. You likely have a strong opinion about his tweets if not the Guardians movies, and you likely consider Disney’s decision either overstepping and ill-advised or totally understandable and appropriate.
But let’s not dodge the issue. Gunn was ultimately fired due to an attack by Internet trolls.
And they won.
Without their intervention, the old tweets would have stayed buried. Many on both sides of the political aisle think it’s good they came to light, whether to keep those Hollywood sinners in check or to uphold social justice. But make no mistake, the trolls had neither noble goal in mind.
They disliked Gunn because of his anti-Trump views, and so, rather than engage with him like responsible citizens, they decided to ruin Gunn’s career. And they succeeded.
It wasn’t about vengeance or justice. It wasn’t even petty revenge. It was punishment of someone for his worldview. And the trolls are good at what they do. They’re experts at doxxing and digging up. They aren’t mere bullies or blowhards. They work fast and dirty.
