Turning an Ouch Comment Into Wow
Handling Online Attacks with Grace and Strength
It’s unrealistic to expect to never face disagreement, but it’s also unfair to suffer harassment in silence, especially online. — Tesia Blake
Recently, someone on Medium (where I primarily write) woke up on the wrong side of the bed and went after one of my articles with a baseball bat.
They called me a racist (I’m a brown girl who grew up in apartheid South Africa and now live in Boston — if you know you know) and that I’d probably end up dating a loser. My boyfriend, in his 30s, is an executive.
The post ended up performing quite well, with over 1K views and a 100+ positive comments compared to their 3 harsh ones.
In other words, their attack ended up making them look foolish. They might have even gotten a little traction from it thanks to curious readers, and perhaps that was their goal all along.
I’m used to this kind of attention-seeking behavior, so I chose not to engage. I didn’t argue or respond because I don’t have time for keyboard warriors who clearly have nothing better to do.
Why am I sharing this? Because I follow a simple policy that works for me. As a writer, I’ve built a community on Medium from scratch. And if you write there, you know Medium is an engagement platform — claps and comments help your work get seen.
People who leave rude comments don’t win brownie points with the community. It’s clear when someone is just trying to stir trouble because theatrics is what helps their own writing get any attention.
Of course, I’m not so full of myself to think everyone will like whatever I write. I’ve had many respectful comments where people share their different perspectives, and I always appreciate those.
If you don’t like what I write, there are plenty of options: unsubscribe, block, mute — whatever works for you. I’ve done the same with writers who crossed the line or spam my inbox or feed multiple times a day. I just can’t stand the latter and find it seriously off-putting.
In my experience, I think some of these online bullies don’t mind getting reported or suspended because they don’t have much to lose. Otherwise, why take such silly risks?
But for me, I’ll keep focusing on positive engagement and turning any “ouch” comments into “wow” moments.
Have you ever turned a negative comment or experience into something positive? How do you handle online criticism or harassment?
Thank you for reading and leaving a comment!
Ignoring the haters is the best way to go. You are a wise lady. I think jealousy plays into some of the creep's comments. When you have thousands of followers, the folks with very few strike out at you.