There are lots of ways to be a hostile reader. Here’s a taxonomy of some that get under my skin.
Refusal or evasion
Performative Non-Reading: ask a question already answered.
The Status Signal of Non-Reading: demand just a summary.
Weaponized Incomprehension: insult the writer by saying you don’t understand.
Selective Engagement as Aggression: answer only one of the questions asked.
Reading Only to Dismiss: reject it all based on the summary.
Selective reading
Extractive Reading: elevate your favorite point above all others.
Reading as Hostile Audit: scan only for the first mistake.
Claim distortion
Straw-Man Reconstruction: dismiss it based on willful misinterpretation.
Burden Inflation: require proof of every imaginary point but the one presented.
Prejudicial evaluation
Hostile Attribution: choose the hostile interpretation without evidence.
Asymmetric Scrutiny: require proof for only points you disagree with.
Author Substitution: judge the writer’s identity not what they wrote.
Gatekeeping through form
Reading as Class Gatekeeping: dismiss if when your preferred cultural signifiers are absent.
Format Tyranny: demand a structured rewrite before reading.