llort (in action)
What does llort look like in a comment thread?
llort looks like replies that:
calm a thread without silencing it
move discussion forward without winning
reduce pile-ons without scolding
help others think rather than react
Often, llort replies are brief.
They don’t take the bait.
They don’t demand the last word.
After llort appears, the thread usually:
slows down
becomes more coherent
attracts fewer moderator interventions
Is llort about being “nice”?
No.
llort is not politeness, niceness, or positivity.
It’s effectiveness.
A llort reply can be firm, dry, even blunt —
as long as it improves the state of the room.
If a reply feels good but makes things worse, it isn’t llort.
If a reply feels sharp but stabilises the discussion, it might be.
Is llort about intent?
No.
llort is observable through outcomes, not motivation.
Good intentions that escalate conflict aren’t llort.
Uncelebrated replies that quietly help are.
llort doesn’t ask why you replied.
It asks what happened after.
How is llort different from moderation?
Moderation intervenes after damage occurs.
llort happens during participation.
Moderators remove content.
llort changes trajectories.
When llort is present consistently, moderators are needed less often —
not because rules changed,
but because behaviour did.
Can anyone practice llort?
Yes — and most people already do, occasionally.
llort is practiced when you:
pause before replying
choose not to escalate
reframe instead of rebut
ask a clarifying question instead of making an assumption
leave a thread better than you found it
It doesn’t require authority, seniority, or expertise.
It only requires awareness of cascade effects.
Does llort silence disagreement?
No.
llort doesn’t reduce disagreement —
it reduces entropy.
Disagreement can continue, sometimes more clearly,
once noise and provocation lose traction.
llort doesn’t flatten opinion.
It preserves space.
How do I know if something I wrote was llort?
A simple test:
After your reply:
Did others respond more thoughtfully?
Did the thread stay on topic?
Did escalation slow or stop?
Did you feel no need to keep defending yourself?
If yes, that reply probably had llort.
If you had to keep explaining, correcting, or defending it — probably not.
Is llort a rule?
No.
llort is a pattern, not a prescription.
It can’t be enforced.
It can’t be gamed reliably.
It can only be practiced and recognised.
That’s why it survives.
Why name it at all?
Because naming a pattern makes it:
easier to notice
easier to repeat
easier to talk about without arguing
llort doesn’t create the behaviour.
It gives it a handle.
llort is what happens when replies are chosen for their effect on the room, not their effect on the speaker.