I’m Not an Asshole — I Just Play One in the Comment Sections of Other People’s Blogs

[rug]

November 12, 2014
by Wendy Thomas Russell

I’m sitting in my home, at my dining room table — which, at the moment, is doubling as my office. My laptop is open in front of me. My coffee is hot. My daughter’s at school; my husband is working. The dog is sleeping. The parrot is preening. The house is perfectly quiet and peaceful.

I log onto the Internet and opened Disqus — the portal into the comment section of my two-month-old blog here at Patheos. I haven’t read the comments in a while, and there are many new ones. Many for me anyway. I read some, and suddenly the peacefulness of my house is overwhelmed by voices. Angry voices.

Irritation, frustration, condescension and disrespect are evident. Some commenters use all caps to emphasize their points — the literary version of shouting. They’re not all shouting at me; most have turned on each other. One commenter, then the other. Back and forth. Lobbing tennis balls over the net, each claiming the point.

- snip -

But mostly their arguments are unrelated to my personal opinions. Mostly they’re just relentless debates between believers and nonbelievers over evidence (and lack thereof) of various beliefs. These are, to me, the least interesting of all debates, anywhere, ever.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/naturalwonderers/im-not-an-asshole-i-just-play-one-in-the-comment-sections-of-other-peoples-blogs/

[cbayer]

1. I think that she is right about one thing. Most of the people that play assholes on these sites

are probably not really assholes in real life.

They just have a little sore spot in their otherwise fairly normal personalities. A sore spot that itches and burns and is only relieved by attacking someone seen as an "other".

There are a lot of people who see themselves as big fish in these very little pools. In order to feel big, they must make others feel small.

However, the whole game is defeated when they can't get a rise out of you.

Like her, I am not above being sarcastic and condescending at times.

But when that happens, they generally deserve it!



Anyway, I think she should try ignoring him instead of blacklisting him. In the long run, those that play assholes in the comments section are generally very good at it. Why protect them from themselves by hiding them away?

I could write the responses that will probably be provoked by this reply, but I will let them do it for themselves and never know what they say.