Not that everyone does, but I think in today’s society there’s some truth to the claim a

large segment of society does love controversy—or another way of putting it, people
love drama. And while I can’t speak for everyone, I think there are probably two main
reasons people are drawn to it, both having to do with how people want to be viewed
or view themselves.

First, controversies give people the opportunity to be the voice of wisdom. Every
controversy has at least (and typically) two sides. And almost everyone comes down on one
side of the controversy or the other. And almost everyone thinks they are right.

This is simply human nature. People think highly of themselves and cannot see their own
shortcomings and biases. The human heart is vain and deceitful. And the easiest way to be
right and admired before other people is if somebody else is wrong and you can show it.

And since everyone on the planet is flawed, it’s first easy to find somebody who’s wrong.
Then it’s easy these days to go before thousands of people online and gain lots of attention
writing sardonic, humorous, or scathing criticisms of all the scoundrels and morons out
there.

And if there’s no natural point of contention on a topic, posting or story, people will invent
one. Write a brilliant answer on Quora where even thousands of people see no problem
whatsoever and it’s virtually guaranteed somebody will find some fault with it.

For example: “Great answer but you neglected to mention...” Or: “That may be the world’s
most poisonous snake but it’s not the one with the highest mortality rate.”

Second, there’s the personal controversy, such as celebrity gossip or political scandals. It’s
fun to be the first to tell a lurid tale, or to berate a public figure for something outrageous
they said or did. It gives the impression one is above the kind of wrongdoing or stupidity
involved.

Some people on Quora are masters at dismantling other people in writing. And this answer
is not written to dismantle those writers. My point is, the worse people are in the eyes of the
public—intellectually, morally, or politically—the easier it is to make a name for yourself if
you’re a good writer. Or even if you’re not especially a good writer.

But ridiculing or giving someone a good dressing down in public, whether they
deserve it or not, can be rewarding enough for some people to make seeking out
controversy a pastime.