What are folks in places like Gisborne supposed to do when the infrastructure for digital payments goes out in another flood?
Couldn't have written it better myself.
I'll say while I think comments about public figures should be allowed, and I might have some unkind words for certain figures in in-person conversation, I'd rather people talk about the impacts of policy or statements rather than assign people monikers.
Like I might agree that such and such politician is a wanker, but I'd rather see comments like "that policy will have X negative effect" or "what he said is out of touch because Y"; even if I would agree with "they're a huge dickhead".
The approach you've described sounds extremely vulnerable to sealioning.
The moment that this becomes a place where we spoon-feed an education to bad-faith actors, I'm out, and I imagine a lot of others will be too.
Don't be so concerned about losing bigots that you lose the people impacted by their rhetoric.