For those who have been reading Mouth of the River, whether following it or tuning in now and then or trying it for the first and/or last time, please know that your comments are welcome.

Except when they say nothing about the content of the blog.

Yesterday, my blog headlined “A Pair of 17-Year-Olds” commented on a meme that juxtaposed photos of Greta Thunberg with a megaphone at a rally and of Kyle Rittenhouse with an automatic rifle at a protest. The meme turned the two into emblems for left and right: “Our 17-year-old vs. their 17-year-old.”

Here, in its entirety, is the comment made this morning:

yours is trying to make the world a better place while ours already did.

The blog, very short by Mouth of the River standards, offers context for both, none of which was in the meme. Also worth noting that I dropped the pronouns, “our” and “their,” for the sake of a comparison that I’ve not heard anyone else make:

A Trumper could (post) this identical (meme) and expect–and get–agreement. Those who approve of the acquittal do so not in spite of violence, death threats, intimidation, and racism, but because of them.

No telling if the commenter chose to ignore that line or if he ever saw it. It is a habit of right-wingers–and, yes, many left-wingers and tail-enders–to react to a headline, a photo, and what little appears on the post before the link to the full article. That’s why the comments sections on many news sources’ websites are filled with superficial dismissiveness, platitudes and cliches, and personal attacks that have nothing to do with the subject.

There’s nothing in this morning’s comment that indicates any knowledge of what is in the post. Therefore, it will not be added to it.

However:

Thankful am I that this (non)reader has, albeit unwittingly, proved my point. Rather than let him get lost in the comments section of a past blog, I’ve chosen to make him the subject of this new one. As for the “better world,” numerous posts and comments by Rittenhouse supporters responding to comparisons of him to Greta Thunberg and to poet Amanda Gorman use the word “trying” for them and “already did” for the vigilante

What could they possibly have in mind but the National Rifle Association’s vision of a gun in every belt and pocketbook?

This morning’s commenter is invited to answer this question, but only if he can manage the 350 words leading up to it.

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