When Is It the Better Part of Valor to Keep Your Mouth Shut?

Opinions abound on topics ranging from politics to religion, from relationships to climate change. Conversations no longer just happen around the water cooler at work. With the advent of social media, sharing those beliefs is as easy as tapping fingers on keyboard and pressing “post.” There was a time when the “taboo subjects” of sex, religion, and death were simply not discussed in polite company. These days, the gloves are off and we go at it with gusto, daring to strike back at anyone who disagrees with our finely-honed perception of how life should be. Trolls are part of the mucky mix of missives as well. Wikipedia defines a troll as “a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into displaying emotional responses and normalizing tangential discussion, whether for the troll’s amusement or a specific gain.” I do my best not to engage them, since it is a waste of time and almost always get my stomach in knots. Clearly not worth the effort because changing that person’s mind is unlikely. On the rare occasion when someone with this orientation shows up on my Facebook page, I show them the door. Although, I do admit, it is interesting to watch the interaction between them and others who frequent my “sandbo...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Relationships Self-Esteem Self-Help Technology internet trolls offense opinion Resentment social media Source Type: blogs