Aggression and ignorance: why you don’t need to engage with stupid

Yes: you are a good person for challenging bigotry. But no, you don’t have always have to

I’m used to encountering ridiculous aggression on the internet, particularly when trying to push back against bigotry and harmful language and micro aggressions. We all are. Some people have a much lower bar than you might on what constitutes a fair reason to launch into a barrage of abuse. Knowing when it’s ok to step away from ridiculously loaded insults and accusations is part of being an adult in 2022. So, kids; don’t feel you have to answer to every bad tempered keyboard-smasher on the web.

No: you don’t need to explain to someone why you aren’t crying white tears when explaining the ways in which American- Jewish people experience racism. You don’t need to prove you aren’t a classist bigot for opposing the racially charged traditions of white communities in the Appalachians. You don’t need to publicly explore how you aren’t a…