Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t…

Todays lil blog is inspired by the ignorance of assumption. Obviously this happens in many interactions. And it's to be expected, it's the nature of social media. But there is something I find odd, for want of a better word. And it spills over into real life. People presume they know who you are, based on assumptions. I completely understand that some people are just put off by my sass, and by sass I mean clapping back at smart arses or unkind people, and my resolve to not budge on certain issues of advocacy. Again, just another aspect of social media. But what I find hard to grasp is the people that lurk in the background, waiting to pounce. If you don't like what is being said, it will be like sandpaper, or nails on a chalkboard. Unfollowing would be the rational thing to do, that's life, we move on when things are unpalatable, we have choices. What is not rationale is staying , distain building, waiting to unleash, usually on a simple comment or post. One that becomes the target of the built up vitriol, that rarely matches the catalyst. There's no easing into it, just boom bitch, you're going down.

I have one question, ok maybe 10, I'm not a one question kinda gal.

How the actual fuck did you let yourself become so aggressive towards a stranger? And, this is the big one, WHY did you stay somewhere that didn't feel comfortable, where you were antigonised. Why, for you own well being and peace of mind did you not remove yourself?. Yes it's a simple facebook page, but the reality is for people that stay and are incensed by what they see, it's an unhealthy enviornment. Why are people willingly allowing themselves to be provoked, to become angrier?. This, begs another question. Are they projecting and transfering personal issues onto an innocent party, in order to express something that they have not been able to find peace with, in real life?.

It's ironic really because at some point, the inevitable generic insult of, well it's not me it's you, is usually thrown out as a personal attack, when in fact they are the aggressor. It's not a blame game, it's not even a valid interaction. It's a reflection on how incredibly unheard people are in real life. How incredibly deep the injustices and hurts are, so much so that they seep into every aspect of life. What should be an innocent distraction, a thought provoking platform, becomes another source of irritation. That's a choice and it's not mine, it's yours.

When I sit back and look at it objectively, the outburst couldn't possibly have anything to do with me personally, how could it, you don't know me, I don't know you. It's just a random purging of a hurt, a fear, a guilt.

Why do I react and not just ignore it? That's an easy one, for the same reason I react to a lot of injustices. It's not defensive or aggressive as often assumed. If everyone choses to turn the other cheek, then the unchecked hatred gets the upper hand.

Does it make a difference to the person in question, it probably pisses them off more. But it makes a difference to me, and it makes a difference to others that see the same unnecessary outbursts that I see.

I'm not gonna lie, on occassion, I would love to just reply with a curt get the fuck off my page, because my tolerance for this type of verbal abuse is waning. And quite possibly the offenders have also just come to the end of their tether. But if we dont all try to maintain a modicom of decency, we really are just going to start intrinsically interactacting from a place of disrespect.

We've all experienced some type of relationship, that becomes so strained, that we no longer see the positive atributes in someone, just the negative. where it becomes difficult to interact with decency and difficult to turn it back around. Imagine if all interactions became like that.

If we don't work on maintaining respect and personal integrity when interacting, especially on public forums, then how can we dare to expect the next generation to heed any type of advisory consultation. The age old adage lead by example has never been more necessary.