In my early twenties, that guy was me. These days, I pick my battles.
At any given time, I have a lot on my mind or in my notebook, and not enough time/energy to write it up. What I love about Facebook and blogging is that I get to talk to amazingly smart people, all around the world, about stuff we care about.
When someone misrepresents me, or tries to drag me off topic, they’re trying to waste my time on correcting them or fighting on multiple fronts.
In my head, people who do that lose their ‘reply privileges’. Not their right to reply — which is endless — but their claim on my attention, time and energy.
If I post another message in the same thread, it will be for the audience, because I truly believe they’re smart enough to figure out what’s happening and discount it accordingly. In gay men’s health, there’s so much we need to talk about, there’s just no point getting bogged down fighting old battles with people whose opinions are never going to change.