I got booted from a local parenting group for doubting the 2020 Portland wildfire smoke reports

Back when the air quality maps showed our area as 'hazardous', I posted that my own meter read 'moderate' and asked if the data could be off. I was called a conspiracy theorist and banned within an hour. A week later, the state agency quietly corrected a sensor error for our zip code. Has anyone else been blocked just for asking a simple, fact-based question?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_fox10d ago

That whole "just asking questions" thing gets you in so much hot water now. My buddy got the same treatment from his neighborhood group for wondering why the new bike lane paint washed away in the first rain. Turns out the city used the wrong stuff, but pointing it out made him the bad guy. It's like some groups would rather be wrong together than have someone point out a possible mistake.

miller.avery10d ago

Wait, is it really that the groups want to be wrong together? From what I've seen, troy_fox, it's more that people get defensive when a question feels like an attack on a choice they already backed. Your buddy's bike lane thing is a perfect example. The group probably felt like he was blaming them for supporting the project, not just asking about the paint. It's easier to shoot the messenger than admit there might have been a rush job or a bad call.