I hate minorities and women’s rights....are awful things to say and even worse if the one reading this article doesn’t take into account what the author is trying to say; even worse, if the reader doesn’t read through the entirety of the article before forming an opinion. He or she could misinterpret the whole point of the argument.

So no, I do not hate minorities or demote women’s rights. At all. People are created equal and should be treated so. The point of even saying such things is to demonstrate how important it is to see the context in which it’s being said. Even so, what’s terrifying about this article, are the responses I could get if my audience only reads the title and some of the first section—quickly forming opinions and rallying for others to support their view.

So, whenever someone says or writes something that angers or upsets you, read closer. Try to figure out what kind of person the author is, try to look at the context in which it’s being said, and try to look at what audience the author is trying to appeal to. If you can take the time to do these three things, you will avoid a lot of the anger and frustration that comes from reading something that is against your views.

This simple rule of three translates to most situations you’ll encounter in your life. Whether it has to do with coffee, sororities or why your professor is giving you yet another assignment the week before finals, there is an answer.

So what do you do after you’ve applied this rule of three? You’ve understood the frustrating situation in terms of author, context and audience but you still want to respond to the author. If you truly have applied the rule of three, this should be a calm discussion between reader and author; but what if you’re still angry? There’s always the possibility that you cannot know the author, context, or audience completely. This limitation might keep you emotionally charged about the issue.

Therefore, please bully and insult the author….. no. Hopefully you’re still reading closely. If there are questions you cannot answer yourself (and you have the ability to contact the author) please, please, please understand that keeping a level-head and avoiding emotionally charged language will make such a difference in the sort of answer you will receive.

If the author responds with emotionally charged language, refer him or her to this article and ask to talk again later.

I know how easy it is to make a quick judgment call about a situation—and we all will inevitably judge a situation before we should from time to time. But if we can work at withholding opinion just a little longer to see if we’ve completely understood a situation (or an article like this one) I feel humankind can grow more efficiently towards a better future.