I've had an epiphany. Somebody I don't know showed up in a hashtag I follow, blaspheming one of my favorite fandoms. As I drafted replies in my head, and explored their profile, I realized:
They are a profoundly angry and hateful person.
Their anger is not directed at their target. I suspect its directed at themselves.
I am not their therapist. It's not my responsibility to help them understand their issues.
The video after Trump's trial for sexual assault where he first denies ever meeting E Jean Carroll, then talks about winding up in a dressing room with her where he sexually assaulted her.
@dougiec3 why would anyone want to watch this? I am so sick of this orange blowhard. I propose a moratorium on all images, reports, recordings, etc. of him. #dontfeedthetrolls
The Washington Post is still all in on false balance, with a "both sides" story that puts Trump's lies on the same plane with Biden's truths. Headline:
"Trump and Biden take shots at each other, looking past rest of GOP field"
No obviously no link from me, but enduring disdain for the editorial malfeasance that allows such garbage to appear.
The US corporate news media constantly yelling about how Agent Orange was a clear and present danger to the neoliberal order (err... democracy) didn't stop him being elected then, and it won't work now for the same reasons. It makes him seem strong and effective, which mobilises the kinds of people who are looking for an authoritarian strongman to vote for.
I no longer assume that everyone online is familiar with old school net culture. One of its old sayings is; "don't feed the trolls". The point being that most people being flippant ass-hats online do it for the attention, so if they don't get any, it's no fun for them, and they go away.
There's a corollary of the #DontFeedTheTrolls principle for social media; when someone loses their temper at you, or talks down to you, that's also trolling. Don't dignify it with a reply.
Even when it's someone you normally get on well with. Even when it's someone you know in person.
Maybe use the time you would have spent wording a diplomatic reply to reach out to them in private, and ask them if they're OK. But don't throw fuel on the trashfire of their grumpy outburst. It never helps.
#kurznachricht
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen dem Homo sapiens und dem Dinosaurier?
Der Homo könnte seit 45 Jahren wissen, dass der Einschlag kommt, der ihn vernichtet, aber da der Wissenschaft nicht vertraut werden kann, führt er ihn lieber selbst herbei.
Guten Morgen ☕ ☕ ☕ und einen erfolgreichen Montag.
The troll thing is managable if you follow two rules:
(1) Don't feed the trolls. Ignore their comments completely.
(2) Block troll accounts. Then they can't troll you again.
Remember that these people have no lives of their own and they feed on the anger they generate by trolling. YOU ARE BETTER THAN THEY ARE. Don't feed them and then prevent them from bothering you again.