I think I'm doing it wrong. I get so angry when I see people writing comments that show even a little bit of effort but the content is pure imperial propaganda. It's been getting worse as the years roll on.
The latest bouts of this involve Venezuela and Taiwan, but the topics can vary. My worst behavior is when the commenter is posting total hypocrisy or thinly veiled white supremacy.
What bothers me about my behavior is that I know the commenter is unlikely to considering themselves a white supremacist or a hypocrite. And yet, I insult them and demean them and berate them all the same.
An example might be a comment evaluating Chavismo against Umberto Eco's checklist of fascism. For example, the commenter claimed that Fear of Difference was characterstic of Chavismo, when it was in reality embracing difference by bringing together the various oppressed peoples of Venezuela against the white supremacist neo/colonial culture there.
I said things like "Do you even believe the bullshit you're writing?" And "At this point I can't tell if you're a troll posting deliberate propaganda or not, but I'm just gonna chalk it up to your white supremacy".
By the time I was done writing my reply I was saying things like "Just fuck off".
The thing is, a part of me feels like the anger needs to be presented to these people. A part of me believes that having civil discourse with people who say Venezuela was red fascism need to see that this is not civil discourse, and a part of me believes that lurkers reading the comments also need to see it.
But I don't know if that's correct, or even if it is correct in some cases whether I should be acting on it. I also greatly embody the anger. I ruminate on my writing when I'm mid discussion, often carrying it with me in whatever activity I'm doing. Sometimes when the anger is particularly bad and either I'm tired or caffeinated or whatever I feel a lot of tension in my body and even get shaky.
I welcome your feedback, and I will answer any clarifying questions you have. Thank you for your consideration, comrades.