Grownup Website Editor Throws Twitter Tantrum Over His Bracelet
If you've never heard of Nilay Patel then here's what you need to know: He runs The Verge, a large, successful tech website where he last week posted a nearly 7,000-word review of the Apple Watch (for which he also shaved his forearm, for the video portion). You'd think he'd be a pretty secure man. But last night, he became publicly upset because other adults were laughing at his jewelry.
The spat, appropriately, was with former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée, who helped shape one of the companies to which The Verge now serves as a fan blog. In a recent blog post, Gassée pointed out how strange it is that a man who wears a spiked leather wrist accessory is critiquing the design of wearable tech:
Gassée's above comment is what's known as an "objectively solid burn," which you'd think Patel would be used to by now, leaving home every day looking like GWAR's webmaster. It's also a great point—what business does the guy who wears that thing have telling you what you should or shouldn't wear? But instead of laughing it off or ignoring Gassée, Patel went on a Twitter tirade:
@jackpillard @gassee I don't wear jewelry. i wear spiky bracelets. Choosing to not understand personal style is well-chosen ignorance.
— nilay patel (@reckless) April 12, 2015
@gassee not making a argument, just calling you an old man jackass
— nilay patel (@reckless) April 13, 2015
Old White Men Critiquing My Spiky Bracelet is juuuuuust my favorite
— nilay patel (@reckless) April 12, 2015
did it ever occur to anyone that i wear the thing as a studied reminder that i do not want to ever fit in or be a fucking suit
— nilay patel (@reckless) April 12, 2015
so pointing out that my silly ripped 15-year old bracelet looks stupid is basically complete validation of its incongruity
— nilay patel (@reckless) April 12, 2015
Yikes! It seems like the "spiky warlord gizmo whisky Don Draper bad-boy" thing would be at odds with the "stop making fun of my bracelet" thing, but here we are.
Contact the author at biddle@gawker.com.
Public PGP key
PGP fingerprint: E93A 40D1 FA38 4B2B 1477 C855 3DEA F030 F340 E2C7