I don't like Anita or Sargon and believe this situation reflects poorly on both. And I think you must have to be pretty entrenched in one echo chamber or another to think it doesn't.
At Vidcon or any other gathering in which you are beholden to rules set forth to all attendees, Anita did break them. Objectively, she did. In this instance, she instigated this interaction everyone is now talking about. You might believe Sargon did, but had she not said anything, there'd be no articles about it. It would've been a tense situation for her, but not a volatile one. There might be a history and precedent of Sargon instigating, but that was in a different field, with different rules and an atmosphere in which both sides regularly take shots at each other. I believe Anita is at fault here for taking the low ground, and I believe it reflects poorly on her, her cause, and her as a role model.
That said, it's not like she wasn't in a provocative situation. I believe as someone who talks at length about her, it makes sense for Sargon to be at that panel. And if he bought a ticket he had every right to be there and to film it. However, given their history, him showing up at the front row with a bunch of his friends was a deliberate action to, if not intimidate, certainly pressure the panelists. And, in general, Sargon antagonizes her greatly. Though, on the internet... such occurrences, not simply for women, are rather par for the course. But especially if you believe you are blazing a trail. It doesn't excuse the action, but you would think activists these days could rise above it without mudslinging. Perhaps not. I know Sargon believes in what he is saying as much as Anita does, but in this instance it was basically her feeding the troll.
Am I holding Anita to a higher standard? She seeks to cause change and be a role model, an activist who sets the example. She seeks to uphold the mantle of third-wave feminism. And I guess I believe figureheads should prioritize their message above detractors, because all movements are going to have their loudmouth naysayers. It doesn't excuse the Sargons, because there will always be Sargons. If Malala or Gloria Steinem or Harvey Milk or MLK called someone a "garbage person" in front of a crowd, that'd weaken their standing and their message. And I'm not putting Anita in their ranks, but I believe she believes to reside somewhere in their midst.
So ultimately, Sargon does much more of attacking in general than Anita does, but Anita did more here. And I don't believe that pretext excuses her from being above the existing rules set by Vidcon. Nor do I believe it helps further her cause, as this is the example she is setting for other women who face this kind of behaviour. All it really was was her stooping to Sargon's level. Or, at least the level of personal attack diminishing the message you are trying to convey. When you aim to speak for a whole group of people, your message is bigger than you.
It's just a situation where each side is only going to dig deeper in their own camps.
