Sadly, this is easy, Raven. To your point: It's all about ME, all about ME, all about ME. The great loud sucking sound you hear is that horrific need to be ever so much more important, so that if you bring up a car accident that made you a quadriplegic, I'm gonna say BUT WHAT ABOUT MY INGROWN TOENAIL?

It's a sad statement about our collective humanity that one-ups-manship has been taken to this level, that we cannot tolerate any discussion without centering ourselves, that we are such bawling adolescents that we are all shrieking MOMMY LOOK AT ME.

For my part, all I can say to this is GTFU.

I get this in my writing too. The only way I can respond is Block, Delete. Because if those folks failed cookies and milk in kindergarten, which seems to be the case , no amount of thoughtful discourse on your part or mine is going to redirect their thinking.

I'm at that point where if someone demonstrates that they clearly cannot think like an adult in their comments, I don't want their eyeballs on my shit. I have no issue with conflicting viewpoints. But if I wanted toddlers I'd have bloody well given birth to a few. Good piece and thank you.