"I didn't post this to start a debate about..."

You posted on a public forum, the other users are going to engage with it how they will within the rules of the forum. You don't have to engage them back but you don't really get to dictate how they engage initially.

If you just want a public digital space to post your thoughts without any feedback you can just start a Twitter and mute replies, or a blog.

  • Stoatmilk [he/him]
    ·
    3 months ago

    It's pretty funny how common it is for one side to view posting as a performance and another to view it (more correctly) as a conversation. It happens on twitter all the time, where someone will write a comedic post, and someone replies with what in the real world would be a completely normal riff, only to get a reply like "do not tell my joke back at me".

    • Diuretic_Materialism [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 months ago

      Not exactly related but I also find it funny when someone posts an anecdote to make a point, then someone posts their own anecdote to make a counterpoint, and the first person is lie "well that's just an anecdote!"

      • emizeko [they/them]
        ·
        3 months ago

        data is what happens to me, anecdotes are what happen to you.