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comment by Grendel
Grendel  ·  3183 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Liberal Anti-Racist Pro Gun Control Kevin Sutherland Stabbed to Death by Black Man

Because I felt it's a more interesting title than "Horrified passengers witnessed brutal July 4 slaying aboard Metro car".

I mean, who cares about the fact that the passengers were horrified or that the slaying was brutal (what does a gentle slaying look like anyway?) or that it happened on July 4 in a metro car?

Honestly, would you have clicked on the article if I had kept the original title?





zeroFail  ·  3183 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Well, no, I guess I wouldn't have clicked. But then isn't that just clickbait that you've created?

I'm just confused what the title is trying to elicit, I guess. Am I supposed to be angry at black men for stabbing liberal peace hippies?

Grendel  ·  3183 days ago  ·  link  ·  

It's not supposed to elicit a specific emotional reaction. Some people might get angry, others might just find it ironic or sad.

    But then isn't that just clickbait that you've created?

I linked to a serious article about a real crime story, and the title is not misleading, so I don't think it qualifies as clickbait. Making interesting and informative titles is supposed to be one of the jobs of a journalist.

user-inactivated  ·  3182 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    I linked to a serious article about a real crime story, and the title is not misleading, so I don't think it qualifies as clickbait.

It doesn't diminish its clickbaitness, for it's not it not a quality of the situation described but of the name given to the situation. The clickbaitness may or may not be increased by the fact that the stated qualities of the stabbed man have nothing to do with the situation. Like Eliezer Yudkowsky said, "People go funny in the head when talking about politics".

Grendel  ·  3182 days ago  ·  link  ·  
ArtemusBlank  ·  3182 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Clickbait doesn't have to attract people for money purposes. You wanted people to click this topic and check it out, so you changed the title around to something more racy that has nothing do with the actual story at hand. Now are you trying to make money for The Washington Post? If not, this is clickbait for a non-monetary purpose.

Grendel  ·  3181 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    You wanted people to click this topic and check it out

Yeah? You don't post links so that people can check them out?

    you changed the title around to something more racy that has nothing do with the actual story at hand.

My title is more factual than the original one, how can you say that it's got nothing to do with the story?

    If not, this is clickbait for a non-monetary purpose.

I posted the link to wikipedia because it's obvious from reading its description that what I did can't be described as clickbait. You guys keep using words without knowing what they mean, shame on you.