Did someone on the Internet say something you disagree with? Before you discredit your argument by harassing another human being, consider doing something fun instead.
Sure, using ad hominem attacks to support an ambiguous cause may seem like a good use of your time, but there are plenty of other things you could be doing. Here are just a few!
Play Those Games You Bought On Steam Over The Summer
Do you have any idea how much money you've wasted on Steam games, only to never play them? We've pointed out tools that can show you all the money you've spent, but it's not a waste if you actually go through all those games. Go do that!
Games are fun. Far more fun than threatening to assault someone because their views on consumer products don't align with yours.
Break A Video Game World Record
Finishing a game can take a long time, but it takes a lifetime to truly master one. People who spend their time playing games repeatedly, instead of saying hateful things to strangers on the Internet, become incredibly talented.
Sometimes these people break world records, and create videos explaining how they managed to do so. Here's someone called Cosmo, beating Zelda's Ocarina Of Time in 18 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq6pGJbd6Iw
Wasn't that amazing? Taking the time to practice something until you're the best person in the world is incredibly rewarding. It's a feeling of self-actualization few people ever get, and something you'll never feel after threatening a stranger online because of something they said regarding pop culture.
Make Something Cool With Your Own Hands
My friend James Bruce decided to spend some time making a cool DIY ambilight, instead of tweeting gendered slurs at someone he doesn't know. The result projects colours from his TV to the wall behind it, which gives the illusion of extending the screen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOJLiyy98Hs
Making things yourself can save you money over pre-built options, and seeing the fruits of your labour feels great. You know how you feel after creating a fake Twitter account, just to insult someone who's already blocked you? This feels way better than that!
Another fun thing you could do is turn an old Android phone into a retro arcade. This keeps your used phone out of the landfill, let's you play classic games with friends, and doesn't actively perpetuate any negative stereotypes about people who share your favourite hobby.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn6zpdFRZhE
Oh man! Smash Brothers 64! Good times.
Engage With The Ideas You Disagree With Instead Of Just Attacking An Individual
If none of these options sound fun right now, and you feel like you need to say something, consider responding to the ideas instead of the person. This traditionally helps your cause – even more than leaking the personal information of someone who didn't do anything to you.
It's a lot more work, to be sure, but the results are usually more helpful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJihi5rB_Ek
See? It's not impossible.
But maybe you think this is the wrong approach. Maybe the person who said something you disagree with is sincerely terrible, and deserves to be shunned. Maybe you think that person is intellectually dishonest, and is using tactics that are reprehensible to spread a message that will lead to the death of an entire industry – and maybe only you can stop it.
Maybe.
But if all you can do is attack that person, to the extent where any attempt to search for legitimate criticism brings up mostly hate-fueled rants, there's a chance your efforts might not be helping.
Anyway, I'm not telling you what to do – these are just fun alternatives!
What Do You Do Instead Of Harassing Strangers?
It might seem important – nay, necessary – to add more vitriol to the web in order to make some kind of point. It isn't!
So I want to know: what fun and rewarding thing did you do today, instead of of spewing hatred toward someone who is only trying to express their ideas? Let me know in the comments below! I'm sure we'll have some good clean fun.