But let me ask you this, and answer honestly...
If you disagree with me, will you be content with simply thinking it? Or maybe commenting here and leaving it at that? Or will you, like most of online humanity these days, not only disagree with me, but then broadcast on Twitter or FB that you disagree with me - and then add thoughts and considerations about my motives, my sex life (or lack there of) or my level of intelligence.
Seriously. I'm asking. Pause a second and think about that. Do you, have you, or will you do that this week? This month? And, if so, about how many things?
If you look at the last week and the things people have raged about online, it spans the gamut. The Aurora shooting, Chik-Fil-A, TDKR spoilers/negative reviews, geek girl poseurs/booth babes and what constitutes what, Obamacare, Bane Capital, and more I'm forgetting now.
That's a lot of different things involving a lot of different people with a lot of different opinions.
But one things was the same.
The outrage.
I've said before; if everything's a big deal, then nothing's a big deal.
The more I find myself feeling pissed off about something on the Internet, the more I realize I'm in a bad mood, or cranky, or edgy, or just plain "over" it. And, when I look at it honestly, a lot of that is self generated. Because I keep putting myself back in the loop of being angry about something and then, in a need to say something about it, share it and bitch about it.
What I thought about today was this -- it's not enough that we disagree with something. In this day and age, we not only need to disagree, but do so vociferously and then broadcast that disagreement and get others to disagree right along with us.
Maybe it's an outgrowth of the whole social channel dynamic. You get so used to talking about things, that you talk about everything and it all matters. Whether it's the cereal you ate for breakfast or your gut deep belief that gays shouldn't get married, you want to broadcast it out and get a response. Because a response means something.
And before you say it doesn't, ask yourself if you feel differently when a post or tweet you make gets responses as opposed to one that doesn't. I know I've had it happen, about some seriously stupid content. ::grin:: I'm human. I crave validation.
But maybe it's time to decide that, while we may need that validation, maybe we need to be a bit more willing to just disagree with certain things quietly and save the real outrage for the big stuff. The stuff that makes a difference in a very real way.
So that, when we rage, we rage with real power and, unlike now, our voice won't get lost in a cacophony of other voices bitching about how 7-11 didn't have their favorite creamer.
This is just my thoughts. Like I said, feel free to disagree. I hope that you'll look at it and see something you feel is worth agreeing with and maybe share it as a positive instead of a negative.
But if you think I'm invalidating you all over the place, then have at it. I just ask one favor. Don't tweet the post if you disagree with me. I read the comments. Flame me all ya like there. But let's see if we can keep the raging to a minimum in regard to my invalidation of your opinion. ::grin::
Deal?
Oh, p.s. Thank you for reading this.
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