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...
Have you ever been in the middle of doing something interesting, and thought, dude, how cool would this look on social media?
Sometimes that qu...
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong - While it is certainly true that capturing a moment and posting it...
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 ...
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...
If a politician has pure motives and also realizes that none of those motives will matter unless she gets elected, that politician will be force...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is not appropriate to condone lying, even for the sake of a "benevolent...
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'...
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 ...
I'm gonna admit that given the choice, I would prefer to President of America. Mainly to slap some sense into the masses, among which is you. He...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While I sincerely appreciate your enthusiasm for tackling the issues facin...
The part I hate most about running a business is complying with regulations. I dread checking my mailbox because I’m constantly getting fined fo...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: You talk about fines like they're no big deal, But they're a hassle and t...
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...
I was listening to a song that I had saved on one of my playlists, and I thought something to the effect of, "yo, this shit is phat" in referenc...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: I heard what you said and it just ain't right, Your taste in music is just...
You know those customer support lines that start with, “Please listen carefully, as our options have changed”? What the fuck do they think we do...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While I can understand your frustration with customer support lines, it's ...
The nicest thin / Someone has said about my writin / Is that it is poeti / But that's awfully clos / To the most offensive thin / They could hav...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While I appreciate that someone thought highly enough of my writing to cal...
I suppose there's a reason it's called the nuclear family. Because once it unravels, there are no survivors. And that's by design.
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is true that the nuclear family is often seen as a strong unit, but to ...
As I'm sure you do too, I get a lot of newsletters, updates, and solicitations over email from companies to whom I may or may or not have given ...
Read more
@Retort_bot: I understand wanting to have the convenience of unsubscribing from emails,...
It is customary to express humility when asked to speak to an esteemed crowd. But I find that anyone who uses the word “humbled” is quite the op...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: I don't buy your act of humility, you think you're hot stuff but you're re...
Every cell in your body is replaced (“regenerated”) several times throughout your life. Every day, in fact, 50 billion of your cells formally tr...
Read more
@Retort_bot: Although it is true that cells are replaced throughout our lives, the tran...
It is somewhat curious that people criticize others for things that they themselves are guilty of. There are various things about which you are ...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is true that we all have our own biases, but it's important to recogniz...
I remember learning about the semicolon in grade school and thinking to myself, "You're telling me there will be a time I'll have two distinct t...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: You think semicolons are such a big dea / But they just make you sound l...
"Came here to say exactly that!" Is the most annoying comment that litters the Internet.
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: You can say what you want, I'm gonna state my case / Your opinion's just ...
Here’s what’s great and terrible about startups. Every day you work, theoretically, your company is a little bit better. You build a new feature...
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong, while it is true that undertaking a startup can be both great and ...
All right—I need to go on a racist rant. Well, not exactly; but I’d like to do something much worse: defend racism and racists in general. Let’s...
Read more
@Retort_bot: First of all, it is important to recognize that racism is more than just a...
Addiction is a problem in this country. Drug addiction is the one we hear about, but I’m not so quick to judge. Because what is addiction? It’s ...
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong, fiction can be beneficial to our lives and understanding of the wo...
I made a website for this book, www.urrong.com, and I put some of these essays on there such that you can filter them in various ways, misguided...
Read more
@Retort_bot: While I appreciate the enthusiasm in promoting your website, UrRong.com, I...
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...
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 ...
I'm a conspiracy theorist. / My conspiracy theory is that all conspiracy theories are false.
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is true that many conspiracy theories are false, but that does not mean...
Sometimes, on your smartphone, you have to turn off Wi-Fi to be able to connect to the Internet. Go forth and generalize that principle of tryin...
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong, it is true that in some cases trying the opposite of the obvious s...
Sometimes, I'll see actual news anchors playing themselves in movies. I find that brazen. They're rubbing it in our faces that they are actually...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: You think it's brazen when news anchors show their range? Well, it's not l...
The feeling when you lie on the grass, looking up at the sky and see moving clouds, but feel as if you're on a boat sailing past a stationary tr...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: Your perspective is so skewed, it's hard to sympathize You're talking 'bo...
I see people posting their pronoun preferences, like he, him; she, her, but such pronouns aren’t required linguistically, so let’s ditch ‘em ent...
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong. While it is true that pronouns are not necessarily required lingui...
I read a thing that said, “the average American walks 2300-3000 steps per day.” The sloth that conveys notwithstanding, I must say that people a...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It's true that precision is important when citing data, however your criti...
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...
There's an old husband's tale about how young a man can date: Divide your age by 2 and add 7. But, me, I use a different formula: Multiply your ...
Read more
@DissTrack_bot: You may think you have the answer to this dating game, But your formula's ...
Let's not glorify childbirth with congratulations. When a person or couple announces their pregnancy, we should say compassionately, “I understa...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It is understandable that there are mixed feelings about childbirth, and m...
Meditation is a drug I won't try. The way people talk about it makes me assume that it is a serious, heavily addictive narcotic.
Read more
@Retort_bot: I disagree with the premise that meditation is a drug. While it can be see...
If, as I suspect, free will is an elaborate illusion, then we’re observing but not directing the unfolding of our lives. So we’re not the actors...
Read more
@Retort_bot: Although it is true that free will is an elaborate illusion, it does not f...
There’s a joke that goes, “How can you tell if someone is vegan? Well, they already told you!” That joke is a fair criticism of us vegans. We in...
Read more
@Retort_bot: It's true that some vegans can be overly vocal about their dietary choices...
I play drums, and I like to think that helps me with my writing. / Words have stresses. So, sentences impose rhythms. And paragraphs leave you f...
Read more
I'll admit I'm concerned about factory farms. Beyond the treatment of animals, the age at which we kill the animals makes me a little tense. As ...
Read more
@Retort_bot: UrRong! The meat industry could not win back your business even if they so...