It's happened to most of us; we post something that we deem 'creative' or 'artistic' over the internet, and like a moth drawn to a fire, there’s one person who feels the need to say something particularly nasty and unnecessary.
For me, the bulk of injustice and idiocy has been done to me on YouTube (based on most of the replies I get, I’ve no choice but to assume that 80% of YouTube’s users are noisy 12-year olds with nothing better to do with their time). After so many poor comments were given to me, I realized that there was a particular way to handle rude comments on any site.
Rude Reply: Delete the comment, block the user. Effective, simple, and cutthroat; this is the simplest and best choice if you get a small pathetic comment like, “this sucks” or “your stupid, get off of [random site name]”. These people, who merely wish to create a spectacle with their childish actions, should not be regarded with seriousness. Replying will only waste your time.
Discrimination: Once in a while, you’ll receive a sexist, racist, ethnocentric, or any other type of discriminatory comment. You'll feel the need to reply harshly, stating that the person is wrong, and supply them with a reason as to why they are wrong. This is pointless. When a person wholeheartedly believes something enough to where they feel the need to post about, on your submission---the only person that can change their perspective is themselves.
It’s happened to me before; I was on YouTube, and someone made a horribly sexist comment. Because I’ve always felt sensitive about gender discrimination, I made the mistake of replying back to them with my explanation of why they were wrong and examples. The argument lasted for the longest, and in the end, the user’s perspective hadn’t change in the slightest and I was left with pure anger at their explanations as to why 'women were weak, and needed to be subservient to their male halves'. The argument had been pointless, and now that I look back at it, I wish that I had ignored his comment and moved on.
So in the end, either leave the comment be, or delete it as suggested above.
Debate, explanation: Let’s say you post something 'Naruto' related, or anime related in general. Every once in a while, a person comes along who does not understand and/or appreciate anime like you do. Their comment is riddled with ignorance, mainly because they have not looked into anime as much as you have.
"Why'd you have to post anime? Can’t you be more original, like post something about movies, literature---something actually deep?"
This is the type of comment you can reply to; they’ve asked a question, challenged your interest in anime (or any other area of art) and it's perfectly alright to engage in a brief discussion about something you feel strongly about. However, this type of comment does not merit a rude reply. They may have offended you, but being unruly will eliminate any chance you have to deeply explain and (like an adult) disagree with their comment. When you do reply, spell everything correctly and be quick and to the point.
Important Note: Learn to identify criticism from insults. I've seen it many times, where a user will simply state that they didn’t like something about your submission, and they point it out, while giving an idea to the creator. Now, taking criticism is never easy, especially when you think the piece of art/literature/other is perfect the way it is. (In actuality, there's always room for improvement!)
However, you have to take into account that people will always have varying opinions and there's nothing you can do about it. When a person offers their own criticism, don't reply rudely back to them. You can however, disagree with their statement, but thank them for their input.
"I appreciate your feedback on my art and your suggestion, however, I think the area that you pointed out does not need any further improvement."
If you read nothing else: If you ignore this entire article, and simply reply to any and all rude comment you receive, keep one thing in mind---spell-check. It may not sound important at times, but it can be the difference of something actually taking you seriously (not thinking you’re a lonely kindergartner at home, with nothing better to do), or not. People, who post comments just to get on your nerves, will occasionally try to find weaknesses in your response and exploit them. It's a trap, but a well used one.
