I’ve been seeing a pattern in social media lately: a celebrity known for being “progressive” says or does something, well, not very progressive, and becomes a target of abuse. And then, just as quickly, legions of fans rush to defend them. For a few days, the internet is locked in battle. Patricia Arquette, Tina Fey, Lena Dunham. Now Trevor Noah, the incoming host of The Daily Show, is the center of a fight over misogynistic, anti-Semitic, transphobic tweets. A sample:

Are these people all hypocrites hiding their self-interest and privilege in the guise of progressive politics, or is call-out culture demonizing well-meaning celebrities for simple mistakes?

Chill out. Your fave is problematic. Deal with it.

I don’t care who your fave is. It’s true for all of them.

The fact that your fave is problematic isn’t a big deal — the big deal is if we ignore it. Patricia Arquette’s Oscar speech was entitled, privileged and racially insensitive. Tina Fey’s new show is racist, Trevor Noah has made transphobic and sexist and anti-Semitic jokes, Lena Dunham’s feminism is very privileged and largely excludes women of color. They have contributed to systems of injustice that oppress others. These things are all true.

Patricia Arquette is a dedicated women’s rights activist and a talented actress, Tina Fey is a ground-breaking comedic writer who has opened doors for many women, Trevor Noah is a very talented comedian whose new role as host of The Daily Show is important to the visibility of people of color in the media, Lena Dunham is a very talented writer who has accomplished great things at a young age and has changed the way we view young women in the arts. These things are also true.

So can we just talk about it?