Your Comments are Meaningless

I suppose I should let you know that I have no reason to hold myself up as anything but an abject failure. I’ve tried to be an artist all my life and the results, a few nice words of encouragement aside, have been disastrous.  My income has been dramatically lowered from what it would have been if I’d continued on a more normal path, and nothing I’ve ever done, be it musically or as a writer, has led to any real payday.

People like me, who are still trying to make it after decades on the ropes, often use some click-bait like the title for this piece to get people to read and then comment on their work.  I’m sure many see comments, and threads on their Twitter feed, as justification for their efforts. See world, they are reading me!

Now I’d dearly like people to read my work. That is why I do this after all, other than my somewhat harebrained enjoyment during the act of writing, and my extreme enjoyment if I create something funny. But your comments? Why would I care what you think in a space where you don’t have to use your real name? Truth be told, I wouldn’t care about your comments if they came with your name, address, birth date, and social security number.  I’ve never left a comment myself for a similar reason. If I like what you write, say, sing, or play, perhaps I’ll send a family member or friend the link, and that’s it. I don’t need to let everyone know my supposedly important insights and, truly, no one cares what I think.

For those trolls who believe their snarky and sometimes hurtful responses are so funny, I give you an especially emphatic fuck off. You people deserve a place in hell where your eyes are kept open and you must comment for eternity on everything, but in under 25 characters.

Perhaps comments are a way of thinking you belong to a community. That of course, is bullshit. Being part of a community is actively engaging in dialogue, being able to admit you’re wrong when a superior argument comes along, or someone gives you supportable facts you didn’t know. Commenting merely shows the world how smart you are and often, how dumb others are in turn. Like this writer perhaps.

So go on, comment away. Indicate how ancient and out of touch I am for this anti-comment outlook. Just understand I will never, ever, look at what you say. If you want, you can email me at commonmount@gmail.com with some interesting take. Just don’t expect me to comment on your comment.