Medium is Not a Platform for Tearing People Down

If you can’t get with the program, please, just go away.

Like a fly on a wall, I’ve read with interest some of the postings documenting “dust-ups” between other writers, here on Medium.

This platform is becoming quite the theater. A theater of the absurd. Where is all this anger coming from? All this pissy behavior? It would be funny if it weren’t so…disturbing.

When I signed up for Medium, nearly a year ago, I was excited to have found an alleged “safe place” where I could respectfully speak my mind. Or, my “truths” if you will. I have a lot to say and I don’t hold back. But, I don’t attack people — with the exception of the Orange Troll.

I’ve been sarcastic, yes. Biting, most certainly. I write with an edge and good or bad, that “edge” reflects who I am.However, and I hope I’m not mistaken, I’ve never gone after anyone with the same venomous vigor that I’ve witnessed from certain other writers.

There’s a reason that we have such technology as private messaging. If something one of our fellow writers has put down is offending us, or hurting us in any way, why aren’t we using this technology? People seem to get a charge out of publicly attacking others, that’s why. They get off on it. That’s the mark of a true coward, in my humble opinion.

As writers, we all take a risk that what we put out into the world will not always be received in a positive light. If that were the case, we’d all be writing stories for children, which can be horrific in their own right.

It’s one thing to stand by as someone else gets torn down. That’s entertainment! But when it happens to you, that’s another ballgame, entirely.

This is what is curious to me: Some of the people who lash out the most, and with an almost palpable glee, are the ones with thousands of followers! Is there a lesson to be learned, here?

If I were to start shitting all over the beloved Helen Cassidy Page, whose recent story inspired this one, would the number of my followers soar, like a rocket?

If I attacked one of my other favorite writers, Estacious(Charles White), because I didn’t agree with his comments on a specific topic, would my stats go through the roof? My earnings finally take off?

I know: I could tell the lovely and talented Michelle Monet to take her insights and shove ’em. Certainly, that would get me the adulation I’m seeking.

No way in hell. First, because I love what each of these individuals has to say and also, because writing is damned hard work and we need to not only celebrate our own commitment to this crazy “gig,” but one another’s, as well.

Without rancor, I am not. When cornered, I will bite. But, I don’t want to embarrass myself by what I consider to be weak behavior.

That said, “turning the other cheek,” and “taking the high road,” can be tough, especially when an attacker is relentless. For me, that’s when the epithets start to fly. It’s easy to tell someone to “fuck off,” but where does that get me? An iota of satisfaction, maybe. I won’t lie. But that only lasts for seconds and then I’m right back where I started: In the eye of the tornado.

In the U.S, we are angry as hell. We have a president who promotes racism and sexism and every other negative “ism” you can think of. And, naturally, his disease has trickled down.

I say “disease, because when Richard Nixon was in office, during Watergate John Dean uttered the immortal words, “There is a cancer on the presidency.”

The situation is even worse, now, as that cancer has metastasized throughout the country. Hatred and divisiveness has made us sick.

That doesn’t have to be the case with Medium. If you don’t agree with something I’ve written and feel strongly about it, I welcome your feedback. And I’ll return the favor.

I don’t want to belabor the point and this the last I’ll write about meanies on Medium, so I’ll conclude with the following:

Chiming in on “Kumbaya” isn’t for me. I don’t need a group hug. But I’ll always be up for healthy discourse. Conversation. A back and forth without the swordplay. Certainly, with all the combined brain power on this site, we can handle that…right?

Sherry McGuinn is a longtime Chicago-area writer and award-winning screenwriter. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and numerous other publications. Sherry’s manager is currently pitching her newest screenplay, a drama with dark, comedic overtones and inspired by a true story.

Thank you, Helen Cassidy Page for inspiring me to write this and a big “thank you” to my readers. If you enjoyed this, please check out my other work:

And please check out the other great writers, here: