The Perils of Arguing Online (About Anything At All)
It started with what was supposed to be a harmless clarification on TikTok. The topic happened to be teacher pay, but honestly, it could have been anything. Someone was loudly and confidently wrong — full caps, full conviction — and I stepped in to offer a simple correction.
Not a debate.
Not a philosophy.
Just information.
But here’s what I’ve learned: Online, even the gentlest clarification can feel like a direct threat to someone who is emotionally committed to their misunderstanding.
Instead of responding to the actual facts, some people react to the idea of being corrected. They hear, “You’re wrong,” even when you never said those words.
That’s when the conversation stops being a conversation.
It becomes a performance of ego.
Instead of addressing the point, they pivot to unrelated grievances.
Instead of listening, they defend.
Instead of considering, they attack the messenger.
And suddenly, you find yourself in a digital argument with someone who isn’t arguing with you — they’re arguing with the discomfort inside themselves.
The wild part?
It wasn’t even just strangers. Some of the most emotional reactions came from people who work in roles where clear communication and comprehension are essential. Yet the basic concept I had explained — not even controversial, not even complex — was treated like an offense.
That’s when I realized something important:
People don’t argue to be right. They argue to avoid feeling wrong.
And once it becomes about protecting pride, you can forget about progress. At that point, you’re not debating a topic — you’re debating a wall. A solid, unmoving wall of ego bricks stacked nine feet high.
Nothing gets through.
Not logic.
Not evidence.
Not diagrams, examples, experience, or common sense.
Just bricks. All bricks.
Now? I keep my two cents — and the rest of my sense — to myself.
I still scroll. I still observe. I still read every comment section like I’m watching a nature documentary about human behavior.
But when I see a tidal wave of confidently incorrect opinions crashing in one direction, I don’t jump into the water anymore. I’m not diving into a rip current of ego for the sake of being “right” in a space where right doesn’t matter.
Because online arguments aren’t about truth. They’re about identity.
People defend misinformation like it’s their firstborn.
And so, these days, I simply let the bricks be bricks.
The walls will stand with or without my commentary.
Sometimes silence is wisdom.
And sometimes it’s just emotional self-preservation.
My Voice Unchained 