The comment section isn’t a courtroom, and you’re not on trial. You don’t have to testify.

A public argument feels like a proceeding in which silence looks like guilt, and it is nothing of the kind. There is no judge, no verdict, and no record anyone consults later. Responding mostly enlists you in a performance for an audience that is already scrolling past.

When you feel the pull to defend yourself under a post, wait an hour before doing anything at all. Ask who exactly you are trying to convince and whether they could be convinced. The honest answer is usually nobody, and by then the hour has passed.