It's always telling when people make bad-faith arguments and then the mask comes off.

Almost a decade ago, I was moderating an irc channel when one of the regular users dropped a racist dogwhistle into the channel. I publicly cautioned him, and he responded with a bunch of whataboutery and doubled down. So I kicked him.

Within seconds, he was back in the channel spewing screens and screens worth of overtly white supremacist rhetoric, including the phrase "mud people" and lots more along those lines. Of course I banned him permanently, but the next day one of the other mods (who hadn't been present) messaged me saying that the user had messaged them, mask back in place, complaining that I had unfairly banned him over a misunderstanding etc.

Kofi's post-rejection change in attitude immediately reminded me of this exchange, and how so often the smallest pushback causes the mask to slip aside and reveal what's truly underneath.