Whack a Woke — Wednesday Edition
Don’t come in hard and handbrake turn at the first sign of discussion. Sass will only get you so far with Penguins.
I get attacked on occasion for my stories. I don’t mind. The worst thing to happen on Medium is that nobody reads your stories. So if someone disagrees and feels the need to tell me I’m all for it.
I don’t really mind if readers want to sound off either. I give as good as I get in most instances. Some of my articles are a little controversial and go against the prevailing world view. If I didn’t hear dissenting voices I’d start to question whether I was in an echo chamber.
I have some entertaining back and forth with plenty of frenemies on this site. There are some awesome writers who I read because they’re engaging and have a written excellence that makes me jealous beyond measure.
It’s only the things they write I disagree with. Subject matter not subjective matters. With that in mind, meet Tessa. She came in super hard on my article about racism and patriarchy
I replied. I try to reply to most comments on my stories
My day job is as a playwright and screenwriter — I can assure you that sarcasm does work in print, otherwise I’d be out of a job. Often doesn’t work as effectively with Americans though. A sociological observation I’ve made over many years of writing.
Aside from just popping here to throw a random insult, you’ve announced, of your own volition, you have failed to grasp the point of the article. Based on the twenty or so comments by other Medium readers this seems to make you an outlier. They seem to have grasped it with relative ease, whether they agree with it or not. I don’t know what to tell you….re-read it, use a more sardonic inner monologue? Get someone to read it aloud?
I’m sure the point of your comment was really ‘I disagree with what you wrote’ but it was much easier to come in heavy via an ad-hominem than engage with the issues. I’m prepared to concede you could be one of thousands of people who have been baffled by my writing and the only one bold enough to say so… but now you have bravely taken this step, you’ll act like a shining beacon for the perpetually confused.
Thanks for your comment.
Where did my comment go?
I believe there’s a huge amount of value to be added to a page by the comments section. It’s a place for wider discussion and further intelligent insight. Plenty of readers stop and read the ‘second helpings’ when two passionately opposed intelligent people kick off in the comments.
My reply vanished. I found it again as a published story. It took me 48- hours to discover why. This is what happens when someone blocks you, your comments become stand-alone stories.
Tessa blocked me. Naturally, I’m devastated.
If you can’t hear the sarcasm I put into those three words… perhaps I’ve got a bigger issue than I thought. Maybe Tessa was on to something? Perhaps I should do, as one reader suggested,
I’ve managed to politely disagree with plenty of people on this site without ever resorting to attacking them personally. No author should ever be attacked this way.
The difference is pertinent and particularly relevant to female writers on the platform, many of whom get attacked for being women rather than what they’ve written. This is wrong on all counts.
If your go-to comment is the ad-hominem bully attack. If that’s what you do first without engaging then fine. I’ll do my best to give you a polite reply and a second chance. I’ll debate you back onto the subject at hand — you aren’t beyond saving.
I get it, I really do. Some issues are emotionally charged.We all get snarky. If you can’t re-engage a second time without throwing a temper tantrum I’ll leave you alone with your rage.
You got bigger issues than me and my penguin page.
You can only be held accountable for what you write
If you read a story, make a snarky comment, then delete it, then block the author. I’m going to call you out. I’m going to create a permanent monument to your comment and let it sit there in all its glory.
You don’t get to sneak off and pretend it didn’t happen. Not when your prevailing world view is everyone must be responsible for what they say at all times. You don’t get to absolve yourself of your own comments whilst insisting everyone else must face social justice by twitter firing squad.
Words matter. You chose to read and comment, you didn’t have to.
Your comment could’ve devastated a new or inexperienced writer, there are plenty of people who are nervous and insecure about their writing. You just had the unfortunate experience of meeting an author who isn’t. I’d like you to know that I consider my words very carefully before I write them. I wasn’t hurt by your words and this isn’t my penguin fragility or acting out.
The trolling of writers you disagree with has no place on the platform. This happens to be true regardless of your political persuasion.
Chances are, you’re a lovely person who was having a bad day. I’d like to think that’s true because I like to think that most people are inherently good (if occasionally misguided). I’d like to think we could’ve had a good-faith discussion if you’d stuck around and got to know me and my work a little further.
You’re welcome back any time into the frosty collective. This isn’t about you Tessa. This is about what you chose to write on my page.
Thems yer words. Have the courage to stand by them.