12 votes

Rebecca Solnit: How to comment on social media

3 comments

  1. [2]
    kenc
    (edited )
    Link
    Some of favourite tips: and of course... In all seriousness, I'm grateful for the high-quality discussions we can have here on Tildes. I rarely have any anxiety about my words being misconstrued,...

    Some of favourite tips:

    ... anything not declared in the post is something O.P. does not care about/is complicit with. Every expression of concern is in fact an expression of unconcern about something else; each of them merits a rebuke and you have been appointed (by yourself, but nevermind) to deliver it. Everyone but you is indifferent to the plight of the greater sage grouse and needs to be reminded of it.

    P.S. Anyone who quotes William Shakespeare supports everything that was happening in 1594.

    and of course...

    There can be no good things until there are no bad things at all, which is why good things are bad.

    In all seriousness, I'm grateful for the high-quality discussions we can have here on Tildes. I rarely have any anxiety about my words being misconstrued, unlike Reddit or Twitter.

    10 votes
    1. chocobean
      Link Parent
      Hehehe. Reminds me of the video How to reply to negative comments : Wide World of Web (perhaps NSFW I don't know anymore) Also borrowing this space to bring up the greater sage grouse: They're...

      Hehehe. Reminds me of the video How to reply to negative comments : Wide World of Web (perhaps NSFW I don't know anymore)


      Also borrowing this space to bring up the greater sage grouse:

      Greater sage-grouse are designated as endangered in Canada under the Species at Risk Act, primarily due to native grassland habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation due to oil and gas exploration and the conversion of grassland to cropland.

      They're also really cute

      4 votes
  2. clem
    Link
    I'm so glad that very little of this resonates with me. A lot of it is funny, but I participate only in niche, friendly parts of social media, and even though I moderate a small Reddit forum, I...

    I'm so glad that very little of this resonates with me. A lot of it is funny, but I participate only in niche, friendly parts of social media, and even though I moderate a small Reddit forum, I just don't see much of this (and when I do, it doesn't mean anything to me). Which means, of course, that I have no life:

    Nothing exists but social media. No one does anything offline. So the entire measure of someone’s commitment is how much they post about their commitment. Never mind if the noble cause is their day job, the thing they donate to extensively, the volunteer work they do; only the racket made online matters. Let the beginning and the end of thy commitment be the noise you make about that commitment (and others’ lack of commitment), and make it loud.

    I actually have felt this one a little bit. Sometimes causes come up, and people change their Facebook profile pictures or make public statements about whatever the cause is. I feel a little guilty or not very liberal-y or whatever by continuing to do nothing but lurk. Part of it does feel cowardly, as I know a lot of both liberal and conservative people and would rather avoid confrontations about political topics, but mostly, I just don't get the way people use social media. It doesn't suit my quiet, introverted personality. If people want to know what I think about a controversial topic, they can give me a call or meet up with me somewhere!

    4 votes