Going (Sort of) Viral: Lessons from Reddit

This past weekend I had the rare experience of going marginally viral. I posted a video of what I felt was a strong, winning performance of the Goju Ryu kata Suparinpei on Reddit.

Now, I’ll admit—I’m new to Reddit. As an older millennial, social media still feels like a language I don’t fully speak. I’ve never been particularly good at it. I’ve had small successes here and there with my website and other platforms, but for the most part, my content has gone largely ignored. A handful of loyal superfans stick with me (and I wouldn’t trade them for the world), but overall, my views are pretty modest.

So, when I woke up Saturday to see my video had reached 35,000 views, I was ecstatic. I thought, “I’ve finally broken through! I hacked the algorithm!”

Then I made the mistake of reading the comments. And worse—I engaged with them.

There were a few thoughtful critiques, and even some genuine praise. But for the most part, the responses were negative, even mocking. I went through the five stages of grief in record time.

First, denial: I couldn’t believe a community that promotes the saying “a karate man is a gentleman first” could be so cruel.Then, anger: I got defensive and combative, arguing with commenters whose only goal was to bait me. And they succeeded. It nearly ruined my weekend.Next came bargaining and depression. Honestly, I might still be stuck in that stage. I felt obligated to defend myself, so I made a video countering my critics, apologizing for losing my cool, and now… I’m writing this blog.

But the more I’ve reflected, the clearer it’s become: the healthiest response is acceptance.

Martial arts has always stirred strong emotions. Purists say sport karate waters things down. Sport practitioners mock the “old, outdated” methods. Scholars criticize a lack of context. No matter what you do, someone will disapprove.

And that’s okay.

There’s truth in the old cliché: if you’re not making somebody mad, you’re probably not doing anything worthwhile. It’s okay to stand out. It’s okay to be unorthodox. It’s okay to pursue your goals and be proud of your accomplishments—even if nobody else validates them.

True art provokes emotion. By that measure, I succeeded. My performance sparked enough passion for thousands of people to watch, comment, argue, and feel something.

So here’s my takeaway:

Forget the negativity.

Forget the critics who will always be there.

Forget the “lobsters in the bucket” who try to drag you back down.

Forget the small-minded voices who only want you to conform to their vision.

Instead, keep moving forward. Chart your own path. Be proud of what you create. And never forget—it’s better to inspire strong emotions than to be ignored.