It is often the most sensitive and criticism-averse people who decide to speak publicly on topics they think they’re smart about. Why they do this is beyond my wildest understanding, but I'm sure a psychologist will perform an analysis at some point. Nothing against sensitive people, but if you’re going to cry when someone questions your "genius," maybe don’t wade into public discourse. Book a therapy session, not a podcast studio.
One of my readers thought sending me the following blog post might soften my approach, get me to reflect on my “tone” or “negativity.” What they didn’t realize is that this post is a case study in the exact disease I diagnose daily: people mistaking cowardice for virtue. Let's go line by line!
There’s a certain kind of person, sharp, quick-witted, often funny, who seems to get their biggest thrill from mocking others. They especially love going after successful, confident public speakers. They call them names, twist their words, and try to make them look stupid.
Ah yes, the classic preemptive guilt-trip. If someone sharp calls out your idiocy, it must be because they’re “thrilled” by it. Not because you said something dumb in public. Not because you butchered nuance or distorted facts. No, it’s their problem. How convenient. And calling people “successful” and “confident” doesn’t protect them from critique. If they were truly confident, they’d ignore me. But they don’t. They respond, defensive, flustered, and suddenly very fragile. Wonder why.
But here’s the truth:
No truly confident person needs to do that.
This is not an argument. It’s a vibes-based insult with a superiority complex. “Confident people don’t criticize” is something you say when you’ve been made, and want to moralize your own fragility. I don’t need to point out bad ideas, I choose to, because someone should. It’s called intellectual hygiene. Clean it up.
People who feel good about themselves don’t spend their time trying to make others look small. They’re too busy building something of their own. They speak, write, or create with purpose, not with poison.
I’m not trying to make people look small. My purpose is making nonsense look small, which isn't particularly difficult. That’s not poison, that’s a public disinfectant. And as for “building,” I’m building clarity, accountability, and an audience smart enough to know that unearned authority needs a muzzle, not a microphone.
When someone constantly attacks others, it says more about their own pain than the people they're mocking. They might feel invisible. Or not good enough. Or maybe like they don’t matter unless they bring someone else down. It’s sad, really. Because underneath all that sarcasm and “cleverness,” there’s usually just a scared kid who doesn’t believe he’s worth anything.
This entire paragraph is an emotional hostage situation. A drive-by therapy session without a license. The idea is to pathologize criticism so you don’t have to answer it. Sorry, just because I expose rhetorical fraud doesn’t mean I have “inner wounds.” Maybe I’m just allergic to horseshit. And frankly, if you were so secure in your ideas, you wouldn’t need to invent imaginary traumas to discredit your critics.
And that’s the real tragedy.
No, the real tragedy is that there are people out there who can string a few half-baked sentences together and think they’ve earned immunity from accurate analysis, correction, or mockery. And even worse, people who confuse being above criticism with being above reproach.
Imagine if all that brainpower was used to inspire instead of insult.
Imagine if, instead of tearing others down, someone chose to build themselves up.
Now that would be impressive.
Imagine if charlatans like Meir Kalmenson, Rivky Slonim, and Bret Stephens weren’t given platforms to push their half-baked TED Talk theology and weaponized buzzwords to a public too distracted to notice. I’m not here to build myself up. I’m here to protect people who still think with their brains from those who speak with their egos. And if that looks like tearing someone down, maybe it’s because they built themselves a house of cards.
Final Note:
This blog post is the literary equivalent of an emotional support animal for narcissists. It’s a passive-aggressive plea for immunity disguised as virtue. And worst of all, it’s not just dumb, it’s sophistry. The kind of weaponized niceness that hopes silence will shield incompetence. But I’ve got bad news for you. This isn’t kindergarten. If you say something idiotic in public, expect someone sharper to respond. And if you can’t handle that, pick a quieter hobby.
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