If we’re looking at the Urban Dictionary an internet troll is, “A mythological internet being that lives under an internet bridge. Loves to hunt for innocent netizens.”
Only they aren’t mythological in my opinion. They are real assholes with too much fucking time on their hands that spend their time judging peoples lives, because they have no life of their own.
Also they are just dicks.
And yes, I have had my share of dealing with internet trolls. Try saying something bad against Shadowhunters. Those people are ruthless.
I don’t understand the point of being an asshole online. But I guess it is up to everyone individually how they choose to act. EXCEPT – it’s not. There is such a thing in the world as kindness.
I know, I know – kindness is an under utilized thing now a days, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be practicing it. Seriously. But since trolls don’t seem to know what kindness is, I guess I will take this opportunity to offer them a definition of that too.
Kindness is doing something and not expecting anything in return. Kindness is respect and helping others without waiting for someone to help one back. It implies kindness no matter what.
Lately, trolls seem to be at a different level. Quarantine has made people go fucking insane. Well and some people it didn’t take quarantine and they are just naturally jerks.
But trolls need to learn a few things.
SOCIAL MEDIA DOESN’T TELL AN ENTIRE STORY
Someone went off on a friend of mine the other day, because she posted a picture of her and a celebrity. That celebrity had recently posted about how when they are with their children they do not like to be approached.
And so this is where we need to start.
We all have – well most of us – a phone with a camera that allows us to take pictures. We also have a thing called a camera roll. Content isn’t posted immediately, sometimes we take a step back in time and post shit from the past.
We don’t post everything online.
It’s no ones responsibility to post their every move online. Hell it’s not safe. What we see on the internet is NOT REALITY.
It’s a piece of a persons life that is selected. And what piece of a persons life that they chose to share is up to them. What pieces that they choose not to share are also up to them. It’s not up to us to decide that these things are happening in real time.
We don’t reserve the right to ask questions.
We don’t reserve the right to say all of the things that are on our mind.
We don’t reserve the right to judge people.
We don’t know the people on the other side of the screen. It’s not okay to treat people with disrespect.
WORDS HURT AND CAN CAUSE DAMAGE
I think one of the hardest things that I learned in life is this.
I grew up with a million things that made me not fit into the status quo. But as I grew up, I had anger issues and I was a bitch. I admit it. I have not been the kindest person in the world.
But, I have worked hard to change that.
You don’t have the right to be a jerk.
As I have started working more and more in the entertainment industry, I have seen the damage that words cause. Words can cause mental damage which can result in physical things.
A person’s mental state is just as important as their physical health.
Words can cause a person’s mental health to be in the worst spot. People have killed themselves over words. People have developed eating disorders over words.
I get that some internet trolls react to accounts that are run by social media managers and they think – whatever, it doesn’t matter, it’s not the celebrity. But there is still a person behind that account coming up with content. So, if you think that those words aren’t taken seriously and to heart. You are wrong.
Not everyone has tough skin.
And just because you don’t like something a celebrity or a private person did – doesn’t give you the right to comment on their life. It doesn’t give you the right to demean them.
And if you think it does – seek assistance to change your attitude.
Having the internet does not give you the right to be an asshole.
TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED
While I practice a “don’t engage the trolls” attitude, I admit that I fail at that a lot. Because words hurt and I want to tell a person off when they hurt me.
I’ve been attacked for pictures of myself as a child. Not even joking. It was a picture of me with a bad haircut. I was six years old in the picture.
I have never understood the point. I get it – we’re all not going to find the same things beautiful, attractive, or entertaining. We’re all going to be offended by different things. We’re not going to be able to agree.
But that doesn’t mean that shit needs to be said.
When you’re writing something, think about it. Would you like it if someone said that shit to you?
BEING AN ASSHOLE WILL NOT GET YOU WHAT YOU WANT
Look, I get that when we were all kids, throwing tantrums would get us the things that we wanted. When I was two or three years old, if I screamed and cried and my Mom would give me the lollipop I wanted.
But then I grew up and started realizing that isn’t the way the world works. The world is more complicated than that.
There is a way the world works. There are plans and things in life that we are not aware of. There are goals that we are not aware of.
Being an asshole does not make those things change. We don’t understand all of the reasoning behind things, but people doing things on their timeline and the way that they want to do them is not for us to judge.
Being an asshole does not ever change business goals. Being an asshole does not change a persons personal goals. If anything it makes a person hurt and if they are going to change their business or personal goals – it will be to prolong what you want because they don’t want to get into things with you.
Do we do it? Yes. Judging is something that humans do. Does it make it right? No. So what do we have to do to change that?
To be honest, I am not sure. But I try to remember this – patience is a virtue. And the other cliche – good things come to those that wait.
BE BETTER HUMANS! DON’T BE A TROLL!
Can you tell that I’m over trolls? They need to take a step back and learn how to be better human beings. Hiding behind the internet is not a license to be an asshole.
Trolls are ruining the internet. They are making the world not a good place.
Be better.
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