Social Nastyworks

You're on a social media platform. You are discussing a topic.

You post about someone you know or something you saw or did. Suddenly, out of the toilet, comes a pile of people disputing your post.

There they go!

Writing paragraphs, books, on and on, attacking you. Claiming you are wrong and that you are lying about something you know for a fact.

You sit there, steaming. You weren't posting hearsay, this is true. You were there. Yet, they call you a liar.

Angrily, you respond.

Maybe you're a bit too angry, so the moderator moron bans you. Maybe the posters read your response and attack again.

You sit there, needing to explain, contemplating how can you prove your truth.

My answer: why bother?

I live in Jamaica. Have for most of my life. I have met a lot of people. Many well known people. Considering where I lived, where I went, what I did, it isn't a stretch. If you were in Jamaica, if you met met, you would understand.

Recently a movie about Bob Marley came out. I went to post a few points.. points only one who knew him, saw him, knew his wife, could possibly post.

Yet, swarms of mock Jamaicans descended on me as if I was lunch, disputing every point I made, using Wikipedia and other such 'reliable' sources.

I was angry, hands posed above the keyboard, about to respond... then, taking a breath, I paused. Scrolling to the bottom of their thesis, I wrote;

"Nope" and left it.

I realised, perhaps rather late in the day, that many people, insignificant no bodies with no life, gain pleasure out of using social media to attack others.

This isn't the kind of normal discussion where there is a difference of opinion, for example, who is the best football player, this is an attack to attack. This is, whatever you post, I'll take an opposing view.

A normal person will read something and be left unsure. Maybe do a tad of research, maybe ask a question to clarify. A normal person is unsure because s/he doesn't know the veracity of the writer, in fact, has no idea who the writer is. A normal person can not be certain about the information in the post.

Hence, a normal person steps back a bit.

The abnormal person will attack to attack because it makes them feel important.
They can get someone to respond to them!
They can have a wonderful moment of importance.

So why do you bother?

In ancient days, when you were paid for views and comments it was different. You would drag out the attack because your pocket is being filled. The more they post, the more views you get, the more others, will dive in to see this 'flame war.'

They are filling your pocket so hey! Let's argue!

Today, you aren't paid. So why waste keystrokes? You posted what you did. You posted what you know. They read it and now spend their their time attacking.

You described an actual event or person. They know nothing about the event or person. This ignorance doesn't stop them. They haven't the mental acuity to realise you know what you are posting.

Hence, don't answer. Don't give them the pleasure of your company.

Intelligent people will read a post containing information they don't know. They can not be sure if it is real or not, so they pause. They examine.

They consider if there is information in that post that only someone who was there, who saw, spoke, felt would know. They recognise they have no idea who has made that post.

Hence, intelligent people may ask a polite question, to verify or gain further information. Intelligent people are capable of comprehending they don't know the identity of who they are communicating with.

It is possible the poster might have been in court when that case was heard, or had been scammed by that company. It is possible the poster was at that conference or concert.

To dismiss their post is rather foolish.

Of course, considering the population, intelligent people are a minority. Stupidity is rampant.

Hence, when you write a post about what you know and are attacked, don't respond beyond 'Nope' or a version thereof.

The poster who wrote the attack wants attention. Don't give it to them.

Making that one word dismissal destroys the stupid person. It makes them appreciate they aren't worth more than a single word.