Rock ‘Em? Sock ‘Em? No, Block ‘Em

Arguing on the internet, or even just trying to engage with someone who has a different persepctive or a different opinion on something, is more than likely a waste of time.

It’s very difficult to change someone’s mind and it’s really not worth your time. I mean, having a conversation with someone you love about an important issue, yes, that is possibly something you may invest your time and energy into, but some random person on Twitter? What’s the point?

Besides, that person might not even be a person.

I get a few mean Tweets once in a while about “men pretending to be women” and my inner bitch wants to reply but really, what’s the point? Do I really think that there is the slightest chance that eventually they will reply with “Thank you for helping me understand that gender is not binary and that gender identity is something that is personal and unique to everyone. I apologize for my rude and ignorant comment.”

Of course not. There’s no chance that is going to happen. People, especially online, tend to form an opinion and will rarely ever admit that their opinion is wrong, even if they know it. It’s hard to admit when we’re wrong, even when we are provided with proof and facts.

So, I block them and move on.

It’s simple but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. I take a deep breath, count to ten, block them, and move on.

I remember that they are trying to bait me. They WANT me to engage with them. Not because they want to discuss gender ideology, but because they want me to get pissed off. They know they are not going to change their opinion so in their mind they have already won. They know I will likely TRY to change their perspective and they are looking forward to just repeating their hateful and ignorant opinion again and again until I lose my patience.

We both know that any engagement is a waste of time. It’s best not to feed the trolls.

I also know that there is a strong likelihood that the tweet is coming from a bot. I don’t want to argue with a robot. I already fight with machines, whether it is my ten year old work laptop or my Kia. Why fight with one more?

Love, Hannah