adamnrayofsunshine: I’m gonna let y’all in on a little secret I learned back in my days of Arguing...

adamnrayofsunshine:

I’m gonna let y’all in on a little secret I learned back in my days of Arguing With Assholes on The Internet.

When you fight with a shithead, it’s not about you. And it’s not about the shithead on the other side of the debate. Odds are pretty high they’re a lost cause. At best you’ll plant a seed for the future, but in the present? They’re entrenched. Especially once shit hits the fan. It stops being about beliefs and values and starts being about pride and winning.

So what is it about?

• It’s about the audience.
• And yes, you have always have an audience on the Internet. That’s really easy to forget. Some of them are egging on Shithead Zero. Some of them are there with popcorn tubs, watching the drama unfold with a cynical eye. But some of them…some of them have a horse in the race. They’re the ones afraid to speak up, or have been previously silenced when they tried. Now they have proof they’re not the only ones, that other people exist who think the way things are is bullshit and that shit needs to change. That there are people fighting for their rights and to create safe spaces for people like them. It makes them feel less alone, even if they never have the courage to approach you. Maybe one day they’ll be ready to speak up.
• Others never thought about these issues before you raised them. Those ideas will sit in their brain, percolating. Hell, maybe you’ll even get through to one of the silent shitheads sniggering along. (But you won’t ever know.)
• Or you might force shitheads that coated their garbage in sugar out into the open. Friends who sat uncomfortably by may no longer be able to rationalize their buddy’s bullshit and cut ties. Then those shitheads lost something. Maybe they’ll think about why. (Because no matter how hard they try, they have no one to blame but themselves and their own shitty opinions.) If nothing else, you’ve identified people who will drag you down.

Arguing With Assholes on The Internet isn’t for everyone and will frequently make your brain bleed with all the stupid. (I minimized how much I do for a reason.)

But it’s not pointless.

It’s never pointless.