THE HIT & RUN

Evidently there's a method of communication that is gaining in popularity. I'm seeing it everywhere lately! I don't know what the official name of this method of communication is, but I call it "the hit & run".

You all know what a vehicular hit & run is, right? It's where one person's vehicle does damage to another person's property, then the driver flees the scene instead of taking ownership of what they did and working toward a resolution.

Well, I'm going to give you directions on how to perform a relational hit & run. Ready?


1. Disagree with a specific person or be offended by what they say or do.

2. Write to them, either publicly (such as on a forum or Facebook) or privately (such as e-mail or through the postal service), letting them know exactly how upset you are or how wrong you think they are. The more details you can provide, the better. Whether or not the details are actually relevant doesn't really matter.

3. Request a response from the person. Or don't. Either option is acceptable.

4. Ignore their response. Especially if they try to make things right, clarify what you've said, or respond in an otherwise polite and civil fashion. If you feel obligated to respond, then simply state that there's nothing more to say, don't answer their questions, and cease communication on the matter.

5. Bonus points are given to those who find a way to lodge their complaint anonymously. The less responsibility you take or accountability you have for your words, the better.