Overreaction to article
A recent article in The Guardian that claimed Gonzaga basketball was the only thing keeping Spokane a worthwhile place was factually incorrect and woefully lazy.
But the reaction to the article may have been worse. Spokane citizens and supporters were way too eager to take to the internet and express their disdain for the article, posting links to the story about every five minutes, or so it seemed. The local TV stations raced to post reaction pieces to their websites, providing more links to the original article.
People rightfully corrected the article’s factual errors, but seemed way too offended by the piece. Yes, the author got a lot wrong, but aren’t there real things to be outraged about?
Social media’s knee-jerk, mindless reactions gave The Guardian what it wants: clicks, hits, attention.
It also showed that a certain faction of Spokane can’t take a punch, unfortunately adding to the city’s “little brother” reputation. Next time, shake your head, move on and know that you live in one of the best places on Earth - no matter what a random Guardian article says.
Kevin Dudley
Spokane