Time and again we see hints that many people have lost….or perhaps never developed….critical thinking skills. We can blame schools or families, but once a person reaches adulthood, the choice is theirs.
If you don’t know how to cook, watch some cooking videos or read a cookbook. If you don’t know how to put together that IKEA desk, go to Youtube. If you don’t know how to research something, there are plenty of instructions available.
Yes, it is easier to learn something when you are young. But if you want to improve the way you present yourself to the world, you can learn new tricks. Unless you prefer to be stuck in place.
Example: one of my friends on Facebook has a family member who often joins in the conversation. I have been warned time and again not to bother interacting with him; that he is a troll. However, I come from a long line of do-gooders and I am pretty stubborn. I think almost anyone is redeemable…..if they show willingness to learn.
The thread got into Trump’s promise to bring back coal. No one contributing to the conversation had lived in West Virginia but since I had, and because I had had a meaningful conversation about coal with a mining engineer at one of my son’s cross country meets, I shared that exchange.
The information I shared is easily verified by countless articles posted to the Internet. However, the troll chose to tell me what I said was hearsay and he would just wait and see what Trump does to help the coal miners.
The legal definition of heresay fits, but the common definition does not. 
Since we were not in court, why the hesitation to accept what I offered? It took me less than 3 minutes to find and read an article from a reliable source about the causes of the decline in the coal industry in West Virginia.
He either had no interest in agreeing with anything anyone says or he has no desire to do research.
Either he enjoys his role of being a dissenter in the context of the Facebook discussion or he is unable to learn anything new.
He is only one of many many people who exhibit similar behavior. Think of your own habits. Do you agree or disagree with something based on the information presented or do you bother to take a few minutes to research independently?
I consider my time on Facebook to be “free time”. In other words, I CAN step away from the conversation to actually verify facts. This is not work. This is not something that is particularly time sensitive.
But what you say and do is your face to the world. Why be a troll?
From Wikipedia: In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional responseor of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion, often for the troll’s amusement.
If a person chooses this behavior willingly, he certainly is not worth my effort to “teach”.
goingplaceslivinglife 
March 8, 2017 at 5:00 pm
It is pity to pass on judgement based on narrow mindedness. Any article or post can be misread by readers. May be it is time to grow up and STOP assuming that people seek attention by trying to comment on each and every article they come across. It is shocking that freedom to express opinions is considered as tangent comments of lazy readers. As far as ‘poorly written” goes, it didn’t occur at that time… need a masters degree before commenting on a post. It broke my heart to see how easily people jump on to conclusions and tolerance is fading from world.LOL , Now I am wondering what a waste of time and energy on part to go and read what you have to say in your articles. May be I am not eligible for your intricate posts.
March 10, 2017 at 11:52 am
My amazement that people do not bother to comment is about as strong as my amazement that after numerous times eating at our house that people do not think about reciprocating. I am not looking for a gourmet meal….shoot! frozen pizza from the supermarket is fine. The point there is hospitality and sharing time. So it is with wondering about the lack of comments. I do not have a masters degree and I know most of my friends do not. However, just about all my friends have opinions. By not participating in discussion it perpetuates the concept that the quiet ones do not care…the quiet ones want to be lead…the quiet ones are accepting what is being decided that is going to affect them. I don’t believe that! Instead of suggesting that I am too opinionated, perhaps you can offer an idea to help me understand why people prefer to stay quiet.
March 8, 2017 at 1:32 pm
I agree with you, anyone can easily open any other tab or page and do the research on topics he or she is arguing about, specially if on Facebook or other online social platform. This way you actually strengthen your points and your side or if its the opposite you get the chance to correct you own false facts & make it right in your memory for future. I don’t like when people (out of their own superiority complex) put other persons viewpoint as inferior.
March 8, 2017 at 2:57 pm
It amazes me how many people make comments based only on the headline. Many are poorly written, intended only to attract interest and may not have a true tie-in to the article itself. But those lazy reader go off on their tangents, passing on their opinion based on that headline alone. LOL. (I’ve even caught my husband doing it!) It is a shame that people do not want to take the time to learn.