Matt Bernstein

You read your response to my question, which was about your previous bigotry against trans people.

I think that was like a pretty brave thing to do.

You knew what would happen.

You knew that all these people would swarm in.

And I saw that it was like very heartfelt and very reflective that you had sort of thought about this for a while, that you sort of observed some past behaviors and sort of reconvened

Matt, you and I, if I had to guess, this is the first time we're talking, but I think you and I are both optimists in a sense that we assume that if people see the harm that they cause people, which let's be real, a lot of conservatives, including you in the past, have caused a lot of damage to people, that there is like...

that room to reflect.

And I'm curious, I don't remember where you said this, but you said that you want to see a kinder world for your kid than you saw the world becoming.

What was the moment that it clicked in your mind that you were like, oh my God, what I am doing is contributing to this hate tsunami?

Was there a specific moment?

This is something that I am very curious in.

Just how, especially these days, during COVID, but especially post-COVID, a lot of people sort of rely on

So at the time you would post, I don't know, a video of a flamboyant gay person or whatever it might be that the right those days was melting down about.

I guess I'm just curious because whenever I interact with most people or just anyone, even if it's someone that's politically opposed to me, I want to consider how they feel.

feel.

Just the average person, you know, like we might disagree on some things.

I guess what I'm curious of is like, it never crossed your mind for years that you might be harassing or personally like harming or like putting people down in a way that was not helpful?

I guess one thing off of that, sorry, this might be jumping ahead of your outline a little bit.

I'm jumping ahead.

But I'll just, because I feel like it's on topic, so I'll bring it up now.