Artful Disrespect.

Four types of commenters.

I’ve written several notes and articles directly addressing NonZionism. Out of all the commenters I’ve encountered, I’ve dedicated more time to him than anyone else. Perhaps I am overly sensitive and easily baited.

But then I saw Richard Hanania dedicate half of an article to him. Richard himself has been described as a troll, and has very thick skin. It was then that I realized I was dealing with someone very special.

Four types of commenters.

There are, generally speaking, four quadrants of commenters.

the “like” quadrant.

The “like” quadrant is respectful but low in value. A like is a one-dimensional positive comment. Now, if you comment the phrase “good article” rather than simply hitting the like button, that has a bit more value. If you post a full sentence, “I really liked this article, great job! You are a genius!” then that has even more value. However, these sorts of comments don’t typically result in comment chains. If someone agrees with me, that doesn’t incite further discussion. In this sense, simple “likes” are less contagious or instigate less activity than more complex forms of engagement.

the “hate” quadrant.

The “hate” quadrant is generally more valuable than the “like” quadrant. If someone posts a nonsensical screed attacking me, this is likely to provoke a response from another commenter and start a war in the comments section. These sort of wars boost the total number of comments much more than positive comments, and ultimately promote my content. My haters are my best promoters! My most popular articles are not just the ones that generated the most love, but also the ones that generated the most hate.

If a person posts something very hateful and low-effort, which is not likely to provoke a response, like a single slur word, then they might get banned.

the “civil” quadrant.

Money is more valuable than moral or social approval. In fact, if someone posted constant schizophrenic, disturbing, disparaging, or otherwise nasty comments, but at the same time sent me bags full of cash, I would consider it a net positive. In reality, most people who become paid subscribers are quite civil.

Then there is a series of commenters who are civil but leave some kind of constructive or engaging feedback. They might agree with my article, but also add new and relevant information. They might disagree, but in a respectful way. This is much more valuable than a simple “like,” and less disrespectful than hate-comments. The civil quadrant represents a level of professionalism that you would expect in an academic peer-review setting.

the “NonZionism” quadrant.

NonZionism is unique in that he combines high-value commentary with disrespect. Even when he is rude, he is rude in an interesting way. Sometimes he will nitpick some irrelevant detail and then write five paragraphs scrutinizing that detail. I think to myself, “wow, you totally missed the point, but also, I am now provoked to double-down and try extra hard to strengthen my own argument.” He is a master of button-pushing.

The civil comment is like a personal trainer who encourages you in the gym with positive comments:

Come on! You can do it! One more rep! Great job!

NonZionism is like the brutal gym trainer from hell, who makes you so angry that you give it your all just to prove him wrong:

You suck! That’s all you got? You’re a failure! Come on, loser! You should feel ashamed of yourself, you don’t know anything, you’ve got frogs for brains! Push harder!!

Even when I think he’s totally wrong about something, he mixes his totally wrong opinion with interesting facts. It’s a very difficult balancing act. Too many insults, and the comment can be dismissed as belonging in the hate quadrant. Not enough insults, and it won’t provoke a motivated response.

The shorter a NonZionism comment is, the more likely it is to veer toward the hate quadrant. However, the best NonZionism comments are some of the more valuable comments I have received. They remove apathy, jolt me awake, teach me something, inspire, and motivate me to sharpen my thinking.

suggestions.

The last type of comment I will mention is the “suggestion.” This type of comment is positioned between the like and hate quadrant: low value, low effort, and not as openly disrespectful as the hater, but still patronizing and annoying. Some suggestions are valuable, but others are totally useless. Most of these are very general and lack specificity. They are irrelevant to the content or substance of the article, or attack the structure, style, format, or readability.

Now it’s your turn!

What sort of comment will you leave? Maybe a suggestion? A slur? A like?