Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's both a very narrow, unhealthy view of writing and a pretty fatalistic attitude towards your readers. I don't like TL;DR any more than the author of the article, but I don't think having an abstract or brief synopsis decreases the likelihood of you "winning" the essay—or if it did, that this alone would constitute a good reason not to use them.
I think you misunderstood my comment. I wasn't speaking just about having a TL;DR or not but instead more about the difference between long essays and short passages. Characterizing my opinion of writing as either something you 'win' or 'lose' is itself narrow (and frankly, almost insulting). I have to feel that you coming off this way is a byproduct of the Internet. I'm not trying to chastise you here. I understand…
Re: "TLDR" is unnecessary
#101Please accept my apologies. Lately it has felt like everyone around here is trying to win. I should not have assumed you were and I seem to have fixated on the wrong elements of your comment.