e-Discussion

Word for the day:

Supercilious
     adjective
behaving as if you are better than other people, and that their opinions, beliefs, or ideas are not important: He spoke in a haughty, supercilious voice.

Synonyms? Condescending, patronizing, imperious.

Here are a few phrases you need to know if you’re going to be in online ‘discussions.’

First, don a cloak of oily superiority and fire up your condescension engines.

Touch grass

The phrase also implies that the person the insult is directed to spends too much time online, and they physically need to get outside and “touch some grass” to reconnect with the real world.

It can also mean “take a seat,” as in “calm down” or be less eager. (source)

This giraffe is judging you!

Read that again

The person who posts this is either assuming that, like themselves, you just skim over content and won’t fully grasp what’s written OR they figure you’re mentally slow and need multiple read throughs in order to understand a 10 word Thread/Tweet.

Educate yourself

This choice bit of superciliousness is employed when someone on Al Gore’s internet disagrees with you on a topic. Maybe the person who’s theoretically encouraging enlightenment is dealing in rock solid, irrefutable facts while their debate partner is claiming feelings, vibes or Cheeto’s incessant lies as reality. Maybe not.

Bottom line—this rebuke isn’t gonna inspire or prompt learning. It’s nothing but a snot-nosed flounce-off line on par with calling a person a big, stupid, poopyhead as you storm off.
 
Be better

A sanctimonious tagline with the same effectiveness as ‘educate yourself.’

Now then, if you’re blocking someone, be sure to imperiously announce your intentions.

Mo Husseini, an insightful, self-described creative design geek, has a fabulous Thread up which illustrates this perfectly.

"I, whom you have never interacted with before and have never wanted to interact with before, am now blocking you from interacting with me forthwith."

"ummm.... cool. Bye."

"I'm blocking you."

"OK"

"I'm going now... you're gonna be blocked"

"..."

"You won't be able to see me any more!”

Why does anyone think that a complete stranger would give a fuck that some rando has blocked them? Does the blocker honestly believe they’re necessary to or valued by someone they’ve, possibly, exchanged six words with on social media? As I’ve seen elsewhere, ‘this isn’t an airport—no need to announce your departure.’

Mohu has another Thread where he hilariously mourns (mocks?) the crap social discourse found online.

He notes early in the thread, ‘there are so many people just waiting for their turn to yell.’

Yes, I’m familiar with this. It was mia madre’s discussion/argument style. She never listened. Her polite silences while any of us spoke were nothing more than Lucy waiting for her turn to yell, harangue and accuse.

Go read the comments on Mohu’s Thread—they’re hilarious.