For many years, people would say, "Only child? Must have been terrible," and I wanted to say, "You are mentally ill, because it was the greatest." You got all the attention. You never had to share anything. No one ever ate your food. No one ever took your toys. But the unintended consequence was that I didn't appreciate that being universally loved was not only not required for happiness, but also not possible.
John HodgmanTonally, there was no discussion; I just donโt know any other way to do it. I donโt want to make people feel bad, and I donโt want to make their problems into a joke. I do love telling people when theyโre right and wrong, but for the most part, it was always going to be about real fights where people have a real difference of opinion and a real dispute. I want to make jokes, but I also want to make a decision that is fair.
John Hodgman