get your head out of your arse
i am a firm believer that twitter (and associated social media) brings out the worst in people.
i'm not just talking the vile bile that people can spout - not just the hate talk from one person aimed at those they perceive as being different or lesser. though it can't be denied that the anonymity of the internet and the almost ubiquitous nature of social media has fueled a massive growth in it.
i expect people to hate. haters have gotta hate.
let's be honest we have all had those moments where someone has gotten our goat and we really have wished all the ills of medieval hell on them, but before the count of 10 has finished we have moved on to something else.
the internet proves there are a number of people who can't (or don't) count to 10 before they let loose with their stream of invective.
no it is them that annoy me.
it is the people who use social media to claim how cool they are, how right on they are by their dismissal of something other people like.
i am not concerned with those who promote themselves and their good works - whether they be politicians. scientists, creative types or business people. sometimes you have to blow your own trumpet - even if sometimes you can blow it too hard.
because, say what you will about them, these people have at least done something to talk about.
no it's the look at me i'm so cool because i am not liking this (fill in the blank - normally something that lots of other people like or have liked). from their dislike and disdain for the something in question we are to be awe struck that they have such wonderful taste and we should admire them for it. this is normally aimed at something that has mass appeal - exactly the sort of thing that these sorts of people avoid because they can't like what the mass of people like - that would make them ordinary.
i was reminded of my ire at these sorts of people today when in the independent's sister paper 'the i' printed a tweet from a writer. 2time flies, and it's hard to care that it's exactly two years since i didn't care about the royal wedding.'
see how cool that writer is. he didn't care about the royal wedding then. he doesn't care about it now.
he doesn't care about it so much he wants you to know he doesn't care about it so he has actually taken the time to write about how he doesn't care about it - just so you know that the royal wedding meant nothing to him.
for someone like me if i don't care about something i generally don't mention or think about it. my apathy for non-league football would be legendary if i cared to think about it (and more importantly if i cared to write about it).
the obvious paradox is that he does care about it enough to mention it two years after the event (it wouldn't surprise me if he had made a similar gag on the first anniversary of the wedding - but i bet it was funnier the first time, but why waste good material?), to think about it like that is to be pedantic, the important part is that the writer has alerted us to the fact he is cool, he is not part of the herd that he is against the establishment. right on, sticking it to the man!
his readers will be so happy that someone else has pointed out to them that there is an anniversary that he has taken the time to write about but he doesn't care about - so that they know they too shouldn't be too concerned about it either.
see he has performed a public service.
he cares. nice man.
next week he will probably let us all know how much he doesn't like the idea of hitler, just in case anyone was in any doubt.
i am a firm believer that twitter (and associated social media) brings out the worst in people.
i'm not just talking the vile bile that people can spout - not just the hate talk from one person aimed at those they perceive as being different or lesser. though it can't be denied that the anonymity of the internet and the almost ubiquitous nature of social media has fueled a massive growth in it.
i expect people to hate. haters have gotta hate.
let's be honest we have all had those moments where someone has gotten our goat and we really have wished all the ills of medieval hell on them, but before the count of 10 has finished we have moved on to something else.
the internet proves there are a number of people who can't (or don't) count to 10 before they let loose with their stream of invective.
no it is them that annoy me.
it is the people who use social media to claim how cool they are, how right on they are by their dismissal of something other people like.
i am not concerned with those who promote themselves and their good works - whether they be politicians. scientists, creative types or business people. sometimes you have to blow your own trumpet - even if sometimes you can blow it too hard.
because, say what you will about them, these people have at least done something to talk about.
no it's the look at me i'm so cool because i am not liking this (fill in the blank - normally something that lots of other people like or have liked). from their dislike and disdain for the something in question we are to be awe struck that they have such wonderful taste and we should admire them for it. this is normally aimed at something that has mass appeal - exactly the sort of thing that these sorts of people avoid because they can't like what the mass of people like - that would make them ordinary.
i was reminded of my ire at these sorts of people today when in the independent's sister paper 'the i' printed a tweet from a writer. 2time flies, and it's hard to care that it's exactly two years since i didn't care about the royal wedding.'
see how cool that writer is. he didn't care about the royal wedding then. he doesn't care about it now.
he doesn't care about it so much he wants you to know he doesn't care about it so he has actually taken the time to write about how he doesn't care about it - just so you know that the royal wedding meant nothing to him.
for someone like me if i don't care about something i generally don't mention or think about it. my apathy for non-league football would be legendary if i cared to think about it (and more importantly if i cared to write about it).
the obvious paradox is that he does care about it enough to mention it two years after the event (it wouldn't surprise me if he had made a similar gag on the first anniversary of the wedding - but i bet it was funnier the first time, but why waste good material?), to think about it like that is to be pedantic, the important part is that the writer has alerted us to the fact he is cool, he is not part of the herd that he is against the establishment. right on, sticking it to the man!
his readers will be so happy that someone else has pointed out to them that there is an anniversary that he has taken the time to write about but he doesn't care about - so that they know they too shouldn't be too concerned about it either.
see he has performed a public service.
he cares. nice man.
next week he will probably let us all know how much he doesn't like the idea of hitler, just in case anyone was in any doubt.
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