Wil Wheaton is a name every nerd knows. Most people will know him from his role in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as Wesley Crusher. Some of the younger nerds might know him from “Toy Soldiers” or even “Big Bang Theory.” Wil Wheaton is one of the most well-known online personalities in our culture.
Alright, fine. Maybe he’s not exactly a household name, but he’s still an awesome person. In fact, he's one of my favorite people on the internet, and there are a lot of people on there. He’s constantly making amazing content on YouTube and fostering an amazing community around tabletop gaming with his work on Geek & Sundry.
More relevant to this article, he developed something amazing known as Wheaton’s Law. The law can be summed up in 4 simple words, “Don’t be a Dick.” When it comes to interacting with another human being, the first thing that should come to mind before anything is said or done is “Don’t be a Dick.” Here are 3 examples where Wheaton's Law makes everything better!
1. Starbucks messed up my coffee and O. M. G. I am furious!
Imagine this, you're on your way to work at 7 AM and you decide to brave the lines at your local Starbucks to get your coffee fix. After grabbing your double-ventro-java-choco-moco-frap with medium-diet whip and a sprinkle of Brazillian cocoa powder, you realize that the Starbucks Barista got your order wrong. They used normal whipped cream instead of your medium diet, and normal whip upsets your tummy. You turn around, fury in your eyes and spot the nearest barista and wave them down with the meanest look you could possibly muster.
Hang on, pause there. My Wheaton-o-meter tells me there's an opportunity here. Instead of causing a scene because of a small mistake involving whip cream at an extremely busy time of day, take the hit and move on. You'll give the baristas one less thing to worry about at the meager cost of some tummy rumbles caused by whipped cream.
2. You overhear a small group talking about the latest politics and feel the urge to comment.
The local <Insert Political Party> representative has done something absolutely idiotic and is the talk of your local gathering spot. <Insert Politician's Name> is just the absolute worst and you hear a group discussing the situation. But, to your absolute horror, they are defending <Insert Politician's Name>. You stand up confidently and put on the meanest look you possibly can and walk over to them.
But wait, hang on a second, the Wheaton-o-meter is going off again. Take a deep breath and focus on your drink. The world is a wide place and there will always be people who don't share your opinions. Keep quiet and ignore them the best you can. If they get loud and you can't bare to listen to their <Insert Political Party> drivel, just leave. Walk away and save yourself the trouble. After all, they're just dumb <Insert Political Party> Supporters, they don't know any better.
3. A new player causes you to lose in your favorite game.
You're playing <Insert Game Here> and you are crushing people. You've had the best night of gaming ever until this last round. A new player joins your team and single-handedly loses the game. Everything they could have possibly done wrong, they did wrong. Your inner gamer rage boils up to the tip of your tongue and you are ready to fire every known insult about that new player's family you know.
Hit that pause button and hold your tongue. Let's think this through using Wheaton's Law. This is obviously a new player, one who clearly is one of the top 10 worst gamers known to mankind. Even though you've mastered the art of vigorous insults, is it really worth losing it over a single noob costing you the game?
Conclusion
If you ever feel the need to make someone else unhappy for your own sake, just don't. There are times where firm words and a stern tone will get things done, but there's never a need to be a dick to other human beings.
