When You Make No Sense, It’s Time to Step Away From the Keyboard
My thoughts on a problem that seems to be getting worse
Trolls are everywhere, including on Medium. Since I write a lot on faith and religion, trolls often come out in force.
To be clear, not everyone who disagrees with me is a troll. I would never say or suggest that. Some pushback I get on my articles is helpful and constructive. It adds to the conversation, compels me to confront questions or challenges I’ve overlooked, or helps me rethink things. As the Book of Proverbs says, iron sharpens iron. And I appreciate that kind of feedback.
But let’s be honest.
Many commenters on Medium these days are squarely in the troll category. Some trolls are angry. Some are just a nuisance. The common denominator is that they add nothing of value to the conversation. They just have to say something, even if it’s incoherent, baseless, or outright nutty.
The sad truth is that most trolls probably don’t think of themselves as trolls. Some do. I at least give them credit for their self-awareness. But we have a lot of smug, cynical, and angry people out there who think they are champions of reason and exemplars of keyboard courage, when in fact they are nothing but trolls!
Here’s a thought for you…
If your “rebuttal” to an article reads like a string of disjointed accusations, personal insults, and non-sequiturs, you’re not winning the argument — you’re proving you don’t have one.
If you find yourself flying off the handle in reaction to what someone writes, you’re not making sense. You’re just unhinged. And more than likely, you not engaging with ideas at that point. You’re swinging wildly at shadows and punching out at imaginary targets.
Before you hit “post,” try this self-awareness test:
- Would this make sense to someone who disagrees with me?
- Does it address what the other person actually said, or am I shadowboxing my own assumptions?
- Would I say this face-to-face, in public, to a real human being?
If the answer is no, step back. Take a walk. Cool down.
The internet has enough noise already. If you want to actually change minds — or even just make your case — your words should be clear, coherent, and grounded in something more than your own outrage.
Otherwise, you’re just trolling. And trolling doesn’t win debates. It only makes you look small.
Thank you for reading!
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