Don't take the bait
15 August 2024
This essay, excerpted below, by Chris Bowers, was useful to me and may be useful to you.
"When you wanna post a comment, stop and just look away. Close the app and be on your way!"
I have found that this has done wonders for my mood, made me a better activist, and hasn't cost me anything. Here is why:
Political arguments online are extremely low value. Unless you are a political influencer or professional pundit of some sort—and I am writing this column for ordinary grassroots activists, not influences or pundits—you are just not going to generate any value for your cause through an online argument. It's not going to win you converts. It's not going to generate new votes. It's not going to send money to Democratic candidates or progressive organizations, or contact elected officials, or knock on any doors. It's just going to eat up your time, make you feel bad, and degrade your social network.
There are always more valuable activities you could be engaged in for your candidates or causes. In the time that you have available to dedicate to political activism, there is literally always something more valuable you can be doing for your cause—and for yourself—than arguing with someone online. You could be registering voters, writing letters to undecided voters, contacting your elected officials, attending a local meeting or rally, sharing positive news about the candidates and causes you support, or simply learning more about public policy and the American political system. Or you could focus on keeping yourself fresh and feeling good for when it is time to do any of these non-argumentative political activities. Even that act of doing nothing political would be better for your candidate or cause than arguing with someone online. More
Sometimes I cannot resist and do write comments but use them for a future essay. Otherwise, I agree with Mr. Bowers that there are better uses for my time.
However, I'd like you to please continue to send me comments, as long as they are not personal attacks or hate speech, which I remove. I do read and think about the comments and I appreciate those who send them, even when I disagree.
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