I’m famously combative in politics.
Notoriously so, in some circles. Just ask the people who won’t forgive me for ads I made half a lifetime ago.
For all that, I come from a talky, argumentative, smartass family. I love a good argument, a good political brawl, or a good engagement. I love Q&A at speeches more than delivering the speeches. In the best world, those interactions sharpen your ideas and delivery.
Social media is not the best world.
I was asked yesterday why I won’t fight with some of my most vocal and mendacious critics on Twitter.
First, it’s Twitter.
We no longer use Twitter as a social media platform because we like it, and I regret that. We use it because it still has the vestigial elements that once made it essential in news and politics. ( I can’t say this enough; get on Threads. It will instantly improve your online life.)
Next, it’s what they want. Wilson’s Rule of Social Media is almost as proven as ETTD: the power to ignore is the power to destroy. Apply it liberally.
You’ll never change their mind. They want the fight, not the argument.
Don’t mistake the Archie Slap (which I love delivering pour encourager les autres) with changing public opinion. It’s fun, but it’s just for your own satisfaction.
For all that, the question was well-intentioned, so I felt like it deserved a response.
Here are the kinds of people (some are a bit more obvious than others) I’d recommend you just block and roll on. You’ll note Donald Trump isn’t on this list; while I don’t use his low-end Truth Social, he’ll be active on Twitter against soon, and I, for one, can’t wait.
