Have you ever had conversations with people about anything you're passionate about, or just random topics, but then some random person butts in and ruins it by saying stuff like "bro who cares" or just have people attack you for a harmless opinion?

As many of my followers and friends know, I'm just a guy that likes making discussion. Whether it's about things I love, things I dislike, or something I simply find mid, I just love seeing what you guys have to say about it and bond with my audience! Not too long ago, I made a critique post about Deltatraveler, (on Twitter) a post about Undertale better sprite mods and that did really well, some furry joke thing, etc. and I'm proud of those! But, there are times where it's hard to discuss things without it leaving your targeted audience and some person sees you as another hater cause you talked about things in a slightly negative way and they felt offended, even tho that wasn't your intention.

Now that more people are stuck in their homes, I feel like a majority of people have gotten too comfortable publicly shittalking things or to people and being cynical. I know I used to be a little shit with my rampant Sans fangame posts of before(probably still am idk), but I don't post my usual rant posts without reason or just to hate. Those smarter and can read between the lines will know that I have no ill will against whoever or whatever I talk about. It's not THAT serious. My more chill audience can turn what may seem like constant complaining into a more level headed critique and vibe with me.

Maybe my tone or the way I phrase things can be a little off, but I'd like it if people didn't take things as a personal attack, like I killed their grandma or something. I could make a critique post or give suggestions about a fan project I really like or find potential in, and some rando will just come in on the defense and say stuff like "bruh they're just having fun leave them alone" or "it's a free project bro". Criticism deflected! Except not really... Just because you make a free thing, doesn't mean people can't discuss about it. That is not the criticism avoidance card you think it is. It's always "why are you hating??" and never "thank you for your input! could you tell me more about what you like, dislike, and how I can improve on things?". I feel like I have to preface my posts by saying stuff like "I know it's not that serious and people are just having fun" just to make the more explosive people less explosive, when I feel like I shouldn't have to do that.

Overall, I just think people shouldn't take every little thing as a personal attack on them and treat discussion as more of an invitation for feedback and criticism. Obviously there's a huge difference between blind rage and just someone that wants to help your project become even better than it may already be. And it's fine if you wanna curate your community so that no negativity exists, but it's still something you NEED to be prepared for.

I was just talking to a friend about a discussion post they made recently and they felt annoyed that it blew up negatively as well as it did. People felt like they were just trashing some thing, when really they was just giving suggestions on how to improve that thing and they felt concerned about how the thing they talked about was being handled. It discouraged him from making more discussion posts. It didn't sit right with me, so that's what inspired this post.

But what about you? Any similar experiences you wanna share? Anyways, stay soupy!!