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Calm, analytical case studies of viral outrage.

Each case study sets out what happened, how people reacted, what the evidence shows, and where the discussion went wrong. We quote in full context, link our sources, and try to present critics' arguments in their strongest form before responding to them.

Case studies

• The SNL gym bit: one word, a whole routine
  How the backlash to Shane Gillis's SNL monologue isolated an offensive word from the joke it set up.
  Response: Responding to Hannah Ferguson's TikTok on the Gillis gym bit