avatarCarlo Zeno

Summary

The article "10 Reasons Why I Didn’t Leave A Comment" discusses the author's personal rationale for not commenting on various stories, ranging from a desire to maintain diplomacy to feeling that their input might be irrelevant or unwanted.

Abstract

In "10 Reasons Why I Didn’t Leave A Comment," the author provides insight into the etiquette and personal philosophy behind choosing to refrain from commenting on articles and stories. The piece reflects on the importance of diplomacy, the irrelevance of adding to a story that stands well on its own, and the potential to detract from the original narrative by inserting one's own experiences or opinions. The author also touches on the fear of sounding sarcastic, the respect for the writer's work, and the occasional underwhelming nature of some content. The article is the author's second venture into listicle writing and is an introspective take on the dynamics of reader engagement and interaction.

Opinions

  • The author values diplomacy and is cautious not to offend, preferring to avoid voicing every opinion.
  • Some content, such as deeply personal stories, may not necessitate a response, and silence can be a form of respect and acknowledgment.
  • There's a concern about adding irrelevant or cheap comments that could overshadow the original piece.
  • The author acknowledges the potential for their comments to be perceived as sarcastic, which is a risk they prefer to avoid.
  • A sense of respect for well-crafted stories prompts the author to refrain from adding what they consider to be potentially superfluous commentary.
  • The author admits to occasionally being uninterested or overinvested in a story, leading to a decision not to comment.
  • The piece concludes with the author expressing satisfaction with their listicle writing attempts and gratitude for being included in a writing publication.

BETTER LEFT UNSPOKEN

10 Reasons Why I Didn’t Leave A Comment

It’s not what you think

Photo by 青 晨 on Unsplash
  1. I’m naturally diplomatic and didn’t want to risk offense. I don’t apologize for this trait about myself. Some people consider you a sell out if you are not constantly sounding off on the first opinion that pops into your head 24/7. We’ve all heard the saying that opinions are like asses — everyone’s got one. I’m of the opinion that the world needs more diplomacy and less asses.
  2. The subject matter didn’t call for a response. Maybe you wrote a poem about depression, or an essay about bulimia, or a confession about how nothing gives you greater pleasure than walking around the city center and slapping random strangers in the face. Sometimes I have nothing to say. Doesn’t mean I did not read and take an interest in your story.
  3. I didn’t want to cheapen your story with my irrelevant two cents. What makes you think I have anything interesting to say? Your story blew me away and should stand on its own merit without my obnoxious two cents stealing the spotlight!
  4. Some things are better left unsaid. What I have to say about your story is so plain and so obvious that it borders on being offensive.
  5. I don’t always like the sound of my own voice. I’m really not as narcissistic as I look. If I want to listen to the sound of my own voice then I can write a story, rather than take up air space in your story with all of my terse aphorisms, arbitrary observations, and verbose reflections.
  6. I didn’t want to take attention away from your story. Kind of a variation of #5 above.
  7. I couldn’t be bothered, as your story was underwhelming. Sorry. It’s not personal. Only so many subjects and so many styles are going to make me sit up and take notice. I’m only human, and my years are numbered. I’m not AI.
  8. I definitely could be bothered but I was so overinvested with your story that I risked saying something inappropriate. I was so riveted, engrossed, and engaged with your story that I wanted to tell you about something similar that happened to me. Rather than coming off like an egoist who is stealing your thunder by spouting my unsolicited story all over your comment section, I figured it would be better to remain silent and file my story away for another rainy day.
  9. Every time I started to type something it sounded sarcastic. Can’t be helped. I’ve entered my ‘40’s which is even more sarcastic than my thirties. Not because I want to be.
  10. I respect you too much. I do. You wrote a brilliant, honest, courageous, intelligent story. Why cheapen it with my first-thought-best-thought comment graffiti? You deserve better.

This is only my 2nd official attempt at writing a listicle. My first dramatic attempt you can read here:

I must be doing something right because (so far) I didn’t make Smillew Rahcuef’s notorious list of writers who should stay away from listicle-writing:

Thank you for reading, and thank you to Debra Groves Harman, MEd for adding me as a writer (just today!) to this compelling pub.

Ciao!

Humor
Listicles
Comment
Medium
In For A Penny
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