Blogging—oh, let’s be honest, the Internet—has a tendency to encourage a certain, shall we say, zeal for one’s viewpoint. Simply, many of us just want you to know you’re wrong and make sure you know it (and we won’t let Wheaton’s Law stand in our way).
Emily reminded me of this last night when discussing an article she was reading. Ever since we started thinking about homeschooling, Emily’s been reading the blogs of homeschoolers to get a sense of what to expect. What’s she’s found has been… “interesting.”
Yesterday afternoon she was reading a 2009 article by Reb Bradley on her mistakes as a homeschooling mom, where she confessed that her approach was far too “me-centered” and consumed with outward appearances than the actual well-being of her children. (It’s long, but really good.)
Then she found a response article that, in a nutshell, said, “Nope, you’re wrong; you were right the first time, and you’re wrong to feel the way you do. Here are some Bible verses.”
You can see why this might be unhelpful, right?
Although the Internet encourages a certain kind of zeal for one’s own views, we should always strive for something better. The Internet is not something you can win, therefore we shouldn’t try.
Instead, we should try to do these things:
1. Take a deep breath. Don’t get your fauxtrage on, friends. Or at least, don’t post/tweet/update/pin/plus/twerp when you’ve got it on. Take a deep breath. Go for a walk. Have a cookie. Get away from your device for a while to see if your rage is legit or you’re just a rampaging rageoholic. Who knows? You might just be gassy.
2. Try to actually understand the point. This might be a tall order, but I’m confident it can be done. A great way to do this is to ask good questions, which also means avoid leading or entrapment style ones whenever possible.
3. Keep our mouths shut. Sometimes the best thing we can do when we disagree with something on the Internet is to just say nothing. This is especially important when we’re dealing with other people who really, really want to goad you into a fight with click-baity blog posts and tweets. Remember, those people are trying to win the Internets, too. And if you take the click-bait, they win.
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Aaron, I think you’re completely wrong. Let me tell you why…because I’m gassy! ha! Good thoughts. Thanks for sharing.