Fair Fighting

D L Henderson
2 min readJan 21, 2025

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December 24, 2024; 2nd edit 01/19/2025; Publishing date — 01/21/2025

There are rules in boxing contests like MMA where the object is to beat the crap out of the other guy.

This is a response (with a few small edits) to something another writer posted, directed at me, and I thought it might be an idea to build on for a bit. Ya know, there oughtta be a law…

This was my reply to an essay about communication:

As a Born Again Bible Believing Christian, I couldn’t agree more — even amongst those who call themselves Christian, people don’t listen or read very well, too often jumping to conclusions and responding wildly off topic.

Nevertheless, I learned on FB (which I quit for the following reasons), people have different understandings of the exact same words. Beyond that, facial expressions, verbal tone and inflexion, and immediate corrections and clarifications are totally absent and completely impossible to achieve, they are usually not even considered in responses altogether. In addition, any attempt to stray from the “approved” and lightest of topics — like family pictures, vacations, gardens, decorations, and the like — are, for the most part, shunned.

Whether it’s my lack of writing skills or the readers’ lack of listening skills, or their lack of interest in the topic, which of these are to blame doesn’t really matter does it?

Serious online conversations on any social platforms are beyond difficult.

At the extreme, I once received an invective tirade — a raging rant, mindlessly and obscenely spewing vile accusations and biting, vituperating personal attacks.

Of course, I “muted the author.” I was stunned but didn’t take it personally. Still and all, who needs that kind of vitriol? How else could I have otherwise responded to that kind of irrationality? I mean there were absolutely zero opinions written which would have been open to discuss.

I suppose I could have responded in kind… I do remember how to “cuss like a sailor.” However, I recently got into a childish back and forth, of which I became ashamed, and I will never do that again.

That exchange was useless and unproductive and more belittling to myself than to the other guy…It achieved nothing. I will never again respond in kind.

Still, I don’t like “muting” anyone, since I’ll never have too many friends or acquaintances.

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D L Henderson
D L Henderson

Written by D L Henderson

Born 1950; HS 1968; Born again 1972; Cornell ILR; Steward, Local President/Business Agent; Husband, father, grandfather; winner/loser/everything in between

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