Written by Nicole

New year, new you! January is now behind us and February is well on its way. But, since constant improvement is the name of the game, it’s never too late to add another trick to your repertoire.

This trick is actually super easy too, as it is completely within your control.

Stop arguing with trolls in comment sections.

The concept of the troll is nothing new – as long as people had a platform, they would share their opinions, good, bad or indifferent. And then the troll was born, aiming to derail the conversation, annoy the participant, or just be a general nuisance. With online black gender relations being what they are, though, that gives trolls, male and female alike (but especially male), to spew all manner of nonsense in comment sections and gossip sites.

But the time is now to stop letting these trolls, especially the male ones, feed off you! Here’s why.

You cannot explain something to someone dedicated to being willfully obtuse

You can write immaculately presented comment section dissertations until you are blue in the face. You can cite your sources in APA format, provide evidence, anecdotal or otherwise. You can even have a séance to interview the ghosts of historical figures who would back your point. All you will get for your time is a half-assed rebuttal and sore thumbs from typing, because their intention is not to learn. Their intention is not to listen or understand where you are coming from. Their true intention is to feed off you and waste your time. And speaking of…

It is a waste of your time

At this point, it would be a better use of your time to boil rice one by one, than engage in any kind of back and forth. There are so many things that would better serve you. Read a book! Go for a walk! Learn a dead language! Take up macrame! Have a nap! Any of those options are far better than engaging with males that add no value to your life.

They get their jollies from thinking you are getting upset, whether you’re upset or not

Trolls feed off energy, positive and negative alike. Deny them the satisfaction of them believing they have gotten under your skin, by not engaging with them at all. Like the saying goes, don’t feed the troll. Trolls work hard, but your block button should work harder.

Social media is not going anywhere any time soon, and neither are the energy vampires who seek to sow discord and chaos. You can’t control what they do, but you can definitely control yourself. Let them scream into the void and starve.

Disclaimer: This blog was written by me, Nicole, and my ideas are not necessarily reflective of Christelyn Karazin or other writers on this platform.