I recently read Laura Bates' book The Men Who Hate Women, which is all about the manosphere, and how it's being used to spread not only misogyny but also often white nationalism and homophobia as well. She documents how deflections like Tate's are both common and effective. There is nothing humorous or satirical about his offensive comments, and he knows that, but such claims allow him to sidestep censure and to put the accuser on the defensive.
It's also a way to desensitize people into accepting more and more extreme rhetoric as normal, something that apparently comes directly from war propaganda outlined in Mein Kampf (according to Neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin, who was recommending these techniques to those who wanted to write for his website) "
I really like your responses to this sort of inappropriate and not in the least bit funny behavior.
