What I Learned From My Stupid Comment on Medium
How an online interaction gave me a lesson in character
I love Medium! For me, it’s a place to “hang out” as a writer. It’s a townhall for writers around the world to debate ideas, share knowledge, share our experiences, and learn from one another.
It’s even a platform where we can disagree on things without losing our dignity and civility.
Notice I said we can disagree on Medium in a civil and dignified manner. That doesn’t mean we always do. And case in point was a stupid comment I myself made the other day.
The comment was actually complimentary toward the author, who shared a perspective I agreed with on a “hot-button” topic. But I was not complimentary toward the audience. I assumed the audience was antagonistic, and so I told the author — publicly — to brace for lots of pushback.
Well, I got some pushback on my comment — but not for the reasons I anticipated. Instead, the pushback I got indicated I hadn’t read the actual comments (in their entirety).
“But I did read the comments!” So I thought. Then I actually read them. And I realized what an idiot I was. Apparently I’d read one negative comment and assumed the rest followed suit.
