Watch: Owen Jones challenges internet troll who thinks he’s a homophobe

PinkNews logo on pink background with rainbow corners.

Internet trolls are known for being warriors behind the keyboard – which is why columnist Owen Jones decided to take one for a pint in real life, and challenge his behaviour.

The left-wing Guardian columnist, who is openly gay, released a YouTube video about the consistent abuse he gets online from trolls.

Reading some of the abuse he receives on Twitter, he recounted: “Cheeky bit of homophobia… ‘I knew Owen Jones was a c**t, but never knew he was a poof. It all makes sense now.'”

Another message said: “Owen jones shut up you queer little communist”.

Reflecting on the messages, he decided to meet up with one of the trolls, explaining: “I think if you met them in person… you wouldn’t dream of speaking like this to your face!”

He arranged to meet with an internet troll named George – who left hundreds of messages attacking the columnist, accusing him of homophobia (despite being gay himself) and racism.

He questioned: “I actually blocked him, but this intrigues me… because me and George, we’ve never met. What happens if I met him over a pint in a pub?”

However, after the pair meet in real life, George eventually admits: “I don’t honestly think you’re racist and homophobic.

“You need to start with something like that to get noticed! If I’d just said, that’s [factually wrong], you’d have just gone and ignored it.

“You’ve got to find an entry point. It’s like fishing, isn’t it?”

The pair eventually reconcile – finding that perhaps Twitter isn’t the home of nuanced argument.

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments