"Has it produced one iota of improvement to scold, weep, complain, accuse, reason, appeal or threaten? Am I any better off today for indulging in these futile gestures?" (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon)
True with alcoholics. True with sponsees. True with families.
But also true in public discourse.
These days, when in my right mind, I refrain from such futile gestures in relation to groups I belong to, organisations I am part of, the community I live in, the society I live in, and the species I belong to.
I also refrain from parts of the public domain where these are the currency. To read about others' futile gestures (in the media, in social media) ("scold, weep, complain, accuse, reason, appeal or threaten") and, heaven forbid, to actually start to engage in those myself by contributing, 'liking', 'reacting', or sharing onwards is to encourage such behaviour and to contribute to creating a forum for it.
In other words, even my presence in such domains is helping create the problem.
It's impossible to throw if no one is catching.
When I'm catching, I'm enabling the throwing.