I have had to remove myself from that world, and I feel all the better for it.
Two sides driving each other mad. On purpose I get the feeling, for media consumption and clickbait reasoning, as anger and eyes mean money in the pockets of boardroom chiefs and those who do not have a gram of better judgment and a soul to stop and think about the consequences of their actions.
I feel Facebook a wasteland and Twitter is lying in a similar state of ruin. Cable news is the same thing, just opposite sides of the same coin. Weapons of anger and madness unleashed, and the scorched earth policy of 'hate first' making these places and services I do not even want to use anymore. Why should I associate with that mess? And both sides shall blame each other for this situation, or use it as rocks to throw at each other's leaders.
The war of two tribes.
Fallout.
Living downwind from the ashes of hate and watching the slow poison of toxic anger consume lives and hearts. The poison of hate is just as toxic, and something which you want to avoid exposure to for prolonged periods of time. Something you need to shield yourself from, take shelter from, and wait it out until the half life of blown off steam and anger subsides, with roentgens of hatred being absorbed into our bodies with repeated exposure, and our health and mental state deteriorating with every dose.
The only thing you can do is stay away.
Avoid exposure.
Shelter in place.
Shower after exposure.
Turn off the Internet and stay off social media as much as possible. Turn off the news. Above all do not panic, but play it smart. Find a good book to read and head for your safe room for a couple weeks.
And also...do not add into it.
Taking refuge would be a smart strategy if the conflict were to cease, but I fear we chose to live in a world without an end to wars. Social or otherwise. I fear the damage and long-term effects only get worse as time drags on. We seek conflict because of the conflict in our own lives and hearts. I fear hurting others becomes our only release.
Sadly, I get this feeling we are already there.
I fear the words which shall not be listened to are, "Let's not cause anymore damage."
Someone attacked us. Let us respond.
And the cycle begins anew.
I feel this is not social media anymore, it is antisocial media. Hate media. Divisive anger dot com. News to incite. Reactions to further add fuel to the fire. This is a crop of hatred being sewn for future generations to reap the bitter harvest. And I fear the seeds of societal destruction have already been planted and lie dormant underneath our feet.
I see this in games with any social element, message boards, comment sections, and any place the general public has to vent. The spill over from social media creates this hatred and anger that makes us rub each other the wrong way, to say things to get a reaction out of others, and to spread misery because our lives are so miserable from repeated exposure to these toxins. People trash talk each other and I sit there and I don't feel anger when I get called a moron or a fucking idiot, I bite my lip and know the hurt this causes others.
It hurts, it does.
But as a writer I practice a healthy dose of bullshit protection. I can't let these things get to me. I can't let them define who I am or how I treat others. You let out a long breath, forget, and carry on.
Not letting them win is an internal thing. It is not letting them change who you are.
A good and decent person.
You internalize that pain so it does not spread to others. You vent in private, not public. Being upset is not a source of pride and social status.
We show our better sides to the world in the hope the world does so in return.
But I know others do not possess such tolerance and self-control. I know this is because of the time we live in. Drive by hate. Offhand comments. Limits of patience reached and systems put in place to numeralize, marginalize, and dehumanize us. Information is more important than life and happiness. Dwindling resources and ever increasing populations making us feel like rats trapped in a maze without walls. Those so lost in the angry crowd they find a thrill in throwing fuel on the fire. Misery spread far and wide by our news media and trickled down into our lives each and every day out there in the unreal world.
Fallout from the social media wars.
But can I spread my misery to others so easily? That is the question that haunts me, for I know I cannot, but I see others so blissfully can. To cope. To deal. To do things which they know better they should not, but cannot help themselves from adding into.
And with every dose it gets worse every day.
And I feel we are the ones making it so.
Two sides driving each other mad. On purpose I get the feeling, for media consumption and clickbait reasoning, as anger and eyes mean money in the pockets of boardroom chiefs and those who do not have a gram of better judgment and a soul to stop and think about the consequences of their actions.
I feel Facebook a wasteland and Twitter is lying in a similar state of ruin. Cable news is the same thing, just opposite sides of the same coin. Weapons of anger and madness unleashed, and the scorched earth policy of 'hate first' making these places and services I do not even want to use anymore. Why should I associate with that mess? And both sides shall blame each other for this situation, or use it as rocks to throw at each other's leaders.
The war of two tribes.
Fallout.
Living downwind from the ashes of hate and watching the slow poison of toxic anger consume lives and hearts. The poison of hate is just as toxic, and something which you want to avoid exposure to for prolonged periods of time. Something you need to shield yourself from, take shelter from, and wait it out until the half life of blown off steam and anger subsides, with roentgens of hatred being absorbed into our bodies with repeated exposure, and our health and mental state deteriorating with every dose.
The only thing you can do is stay away.
Avoid exposure.
Shelter in place.
Shower after exposure.
Turn off the Internet and stay off social media as much as possible. Turn off the news. Above all do not panic, but play it smart. Find a good book to read and head for your safe room for a couple weeks.
And also...do not add into it.
Taking refuge would be a smart strategy if the conflict were to cease, but I fear we chose to live in a world without an end to wars. Social or otherwise. I fear the damage and long-term effects only get worse as time drags on. We seek conflict because of the conflict in our own lives and hearts. I fear hurting others becomes our only release.
Sadly, I get this feeling we are already there.
I fear the words which shall not be listened to are, "Let's not cause anymore damage."
Someone attacked us. Let us respond.
And the cycle begins anew.
I feel this is not social media anymore, it is antisocial media. Hate media. Divisive anger dot com. News to incite. Reactions to further add fuel to the fire. This is a crop of hatred being sewn for future generations to reap the bitter harvest. And I fear the seeds of societal destruction have already been planted and lie dormant underneath our feet.
I see this in games with any social element, message boards, comment sections, and any place the general public has to vent. The spill over from social media creates this hatred and anger that makes us rub each other the wrong way, to say things to get a reaction out of others, and to spread misery because our lives are so miserable from repeated exposure to these toxins. People trash talk each other and I sit there and I don't feel anger when I get called a moron or a fucking idiot, I bite my lip and know the hurt this causes others.
It hurts, it does.
But as a writer I practice a healthy dose of bullshit protection. I can't let these things get to me. I can't let them define who I am or how I treat others. You let out a long breath, forget, and carry on.
Not letting them win is an internal thing. It is not letting them change who you are.
A good and decent person.
You internalize that pain so it does not spread to others. You vent in private, not public. Being upset is not a source of pride and social status.
We show our better sides to the world in the hope the world does so in return.
But I know others do not possess such tolerance and self-control. I know this is because of the time we live in. Drive by hate. Offhand comments. Limits of patience reached and systems put in place to numeralize, marginalize, and dehumanize us. Information is more important than life and happiness. Dwindling resources and ever increasing populations making us feel like rats trapped in a maze without walls. Those so lost in the angry crowd they find a thrill in throwing fuel on the fire. Misery spread far and wide by our news media and trickled down into our lives each and every day out there in the unreal world.
Fallout from the social media wars.
But can I spread my misery to others so easily? That is the question that haunts me, for I know I cannot, but I see others so blissfully can. To cope. To deal. To do things which they know better they should not, but cannot help themselves from adding into.
And with every dose it gets worse every day.
And I feel we are the ones making it so.
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