This is a form letter, but you may want to actually read it. You are getting this letter for a reason. Those reasons might include:
- I wrote, did, or said something you didn’t like.
- I wrote, did, or said something that wasn’t “enough” (similar but different).
- You want to argue with me online.
- You want to get into a debate with me online (which usually turns into an argument).
- You are trolling me.
- You are putting words in my mouth.
- You are mad at me and want a pound of flesh.
There might be another related reason for it, but I created this letter to address these things.
Sorry, I don’t argue on the internet.
I’ve been down this path before. I’ve crafted a thoughtful response to angry or belligerent emails, never to hear back again. I’ve gotten into debates with people I liked that turned into arguments, ruining those relationships. I’ve engaged in twitter debates that started out in good faith, but devolved into something ugly.
As John Scalzi said:
I am, as are we all, an imperfect being.
We’ve all been there. We’ve had some point to make, wasted a bunch of time, a portion of our lives we will never get back, all because someone else was “wrong on the internet.” Or more likely, we ourselves were wrong in the first place.
It took too long for me to get to the place where I don’t engage people in this way, an almost embarrassingly long amount. After too many times going down that rabbit hole, I simply decided not to do it anymore. It just isn’t worth it.
So let’s not do this. Chances are, I’m not going to convince you of anything, and you aren’t going to convince me. It doesn’t work out that way.
If this is an unsatisfying response, I can understand, but there are plenty of other people out there who will be happy to step in for me. I wish you the best with them.
Thanks for your understanding in this matter,
James
PS: The “I don’t argue on the internet” thing is something I learned from Merlin Mann. Great guy, look him up when you get a chance. He has a lot to teach people about how we use the internet and how to get things done on it.