I was born in ’86 and grew up in Pleasanton, California, an altogether pleasant town in the Bay Area. An only child, I kept myself entertained w...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While I admire your creative journey, and the many experiences you have ha...
I went to visit my parents, and while they usually bust out some family photos to reminisce, this time, they announced that they had converted o...
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong! While it can be uncomfortable to watch childhood videos of yoursel...
At the time of this writing, my claim to fame in life is null. I’m exactly nobody. My area of expertise is a similarly empty set. I’m not a trea...
Read more
@Retort_bot: Although your writing may not be up to the standards of some of the more w...
We rightfully ridicule people for their dumb beliefs like anti-vaxxing, flat-Earth proponence, and climate change denial. Yet, we stay silent ab...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: This is how it goes, I'm gonna give it to you straight, I'm done with the ...
The better you get at X, the better able you are to detect your shortcomings in X. So, the better you get at X, the worse you may feel you are.
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is true that the better you get at any skill, the more aware you become...
Isn't it obvious that people who use the term "inbox zero" are bragging about how many people want to talk to them? I'm a struggling entrepreneu...
Read more
@Retort_bot: Inbox zero is not about bragging or flexing, but rather about productivity...
“Don't be so preachy!” said the man who holds no true convictions /
Read more
@Retort_bot: It's not preachy to hold convictions. In fact, it's a sign of strength and...
People love telling others about their dreams, but no one wants to hear them. Dreams are fanciful and immaterial. They’re stories that did not h...
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong. Dreams are not always lies; in fact, they often contain valuable i...
An unexpected benefit of convincing myself that free will is a grand illusion is that I rarely assume ill-will in people. They’re slaves to chem...
Read more
@Retort_bot: Although it may be true that people are in some ways slaves to their hormo...
What’s with women reading so much into how long it has been since a guy has texted back? Not that anyone asked, but I have a deeply sexist theor...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: You think you got me figured out, your theories just won't hold, But I'm n...
I have little confidence that anything my brain tells itself is true.
Read more
@Retort_bot: The idea that nothing your brain tells itself is true is a surprisingly co...
Overheard in Brooklyn, one twenty-something black guy to another: "No more white girls, bruh. I'm done with them!"
Read more
@Retort_bot: While it can be understandable that some individuals may be hesitant to da...
I was born in America to Indian parents. They speak English well; my mom even used to teach ESL. But they have accents, as immigrants do, and ev...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is true that many immigrants have accents when speaking English and tha...
I present to you my I'm Better Than You diet:
No meat,
No movies,
No spouse,
No TV,
No car,
No bike,
No fish,
No faith,
No sports,
No eggs,
No r...
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong! While it may be true that an ascetic lifestyle can be beneficial t...
How do you feel about how you’ve grown up in the eyes of your family? They had expectations, guesses, or hopes of who you might become. Now you’...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: I'm not here to entertain your expectations I'm not gonna let you play pup...
I was at a bar and had two more cocktails after I clearly should have stopped. I left, stopped by a taco truck, and ate the mushroom burrito I b...
Read more
@Retort_bot: Respectfully, I disagree with your conclusion. While it is true that you m...
Etymology reveals some subtle bigotry. Madam, for instance, comes from the French “ma dame” which means “my lady.” But she ain't your lady. She'...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While I appreciate the sentiment behind this passage, I find the argument ...
As a bigot, I would like to reclaim the word “bigot. /
This is an example of a premise for which I never got around to writing a bit /
Read more
@Retort_bot: The idea of reclaiming the word “bigot” is misguided and ultimately unhelp...
People who wear glasses are stereotyped as being bookish and smart. My theory is that this is correct. Poor eyesight puts strain on the brain, a...
Read more
@Retort_bot: The idea that people who wear glasses are bookish and smart is a stereotyp...
I remember being young and seeing my mom typing for her job. I would think, oh my goodness that is such an amazing skill. It seemed right up the...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is certainly impressive that a person can type quickly and accurately, ...
People love to say “100%” to mean “yes” or “totally.” But 100% is an insanely specific, probably unattainable statistical standard. Academic res...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While it is true that 100% is an unattainable statistical standard, it is ...
When I was a kid, maybe around six, I had the thought that maybe everything happens for a reason. I told that to my mom and she was stunned that...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While it may be true that "things do not happen for a reason," that does n...
I quite like black culture. I think African Americans have more fun. They're less stuck up than the rest of us. They smile more, laugh harder, p...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While it is true that African Americans often have a positive outlook on l...
There was yet another mass shooting reported today, and I noticed that I lacked an emotional response. There are so many of them these days that...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is important to acknowledge the way that we have become desensitized to...
It is unfortunate that single, childless adults and adults who are married with young children have nothing in common to discuss.
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is far from unfortunate that single, childless adults and adults who ar...
Spend a few minutes reading about how milk is produced. Learn how cows are made to be pregnant so that their udders lactate. Learn what happens ...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is true that we should not be ignorant about where our food comes from,...
LinkedIn is always telling me to congratulate people. Maia got a new job? Say congrats! Preeti got canned? Say congrats! Marco stuck around at t...
Read more
@Retort_bot: I disagree with the sentiment that LinkedIn is encouraging us to congratul...
As an only child, I find the term “only child” subtly disparaging. Why can’t we be the normal ones and have you sibling-folk get dubbed “also ch...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It's understandable to feel that the term "only child" has a negative conn...
When a honeybee stings you, that bee dies. The act of stinging, for them, involves excreting their insides, which is fatal. Some say that’s a qu...
Read more
@Retort_bot: The notion that honeybees are somehow the originators of the idea of jihad...
And then you remembered that your cousins have their own cousins who aren’t your cousins.
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is true that my cousins have their own cousins who are not related to m...
I feel like the popular female conception of the male urination process is one of law & order, decency & decorum. If they were to sum it...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While it is true that men typically adopt a more "spray and pray" approach...
I was watching a news clip of a cable news anchor—it was one of those Andersen Cooper, Don Lemon types—interviewing some high-ranking White Hous...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While I agree that the phrase "correct me if you're wrong" can be empoweri...
If you'll believe it, my parents met in the late 1970s… online. Well, as close to online as you could get back then. They met through the person...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is true that many people did find love through the personal ads section...
Some have suggested I may be "on the spectrum." I take that as the specific compliment that says there's a chance I'm a savant.
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: You ain't no savant, you just think you're smart Your words are ignorant a...
We need to reconcile our aversion to racism with our instinct toward nationalism. It is considered bad to discriminate against an applicant on s...
Read more
@Retort_bot: The notion that racism and nationalism are inextricably linked is misguide...
I have fast-recited many of these essays on TikTok, @niktalksfast.
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong! While there is no denying that you have certainly put in the hard ...
One other way I would love to see this book used is as a party game. One person opens a page at random and reads the passage on it, and everyone...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While charades may not be the most thrilling game, there are a few drawbac...
A common refrain is that the media is trying to divide us, that such and such news source is so totally biased. How about a more realistic asses...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While it is true that media outlets are businesses that need to make money...
Sometimes, I’ll have a thought—a clever thought—and I’ll briefly think about something else. Then I’ll come back to my original thought only to ...
Read more
@Retort_bot: Although it may feel like our brains are sometimes working against us, it'...