Bullying

I can’t believe that in 2019 bullying appears to be at it’s greatest level to date digitally. I can only assume that people forget that typing a tirade of abuse from their living room is real life and actually hurts the people its aimed at?

Celebrities and journalists with a platform seems to be the ultimate target and there really doesn’t appear to be a filter. I follow a fantastic mother called “Part-Time Working Mummy” who has had nothing short of a hate campaign orchestrated against her. The campaign was so great and far reaching she has had to hand her social media to an agent at times so she doesn’t have to read all the horrible things that are said about her and her family. It has even gone as far as people wishing her unborn baby dead.

How can any grown adult think it is acceptable to behave like that? You would assume she must be the most controversial person ever to even evoke such a response but this isn’t true and even if she was, does that give people the right to behave in such a hateful way? Hiding behind their “opinions” that they are “entitled” to.

“If you put yourself out there for scrutiny, what can you expect?” Is often an argument thrust in your face. I think it is true that not everyone will share your opinion, parenting style, writing style, fashion choices, body-type to name a few but again why does this give keyboard warriors such ammunition?

Constructive criticism can be invaluable but it makes me so sad that talented people throw the towel in as they just can’t face the negative backlash they receive.

If I don’t like someone, I don’t follow them, if they parent differently to me, I do not feel the need to correct them on their social media platform. Why do trolls feel the need to follow someone they hate, just to make their life a misery?

It has to be a jealousy thing, Part-time Working Mummy has had book deals etc so is successful, surely this can be the only motive? It certainly says a lot more about their character than hers but there is only so much hate one person can take before reaching breaking point.

I really hope that laws are introduced to make it easier to prosecute cyber bullies as it makes me fearful for the future world my boys will live in. We grew up just about with mobile phones in our teenage years but they weren’t picture phones and the online world was very different. This is the scary part though, a lot of the adults hurling abuse online and directly inboxing  threats, are the very people that smile at you as you get on the tube, send cakes in for the bake sale at school, sign petitions to stop racism, yet cannot see their own actions as vile?

A very lovely person once said to me, never say something about someone behind their back you wouldn’t say to their face. Some of my best friends might laugh reading that as I definitely fall short of that amazing life rule, not because I am a bitchy mean girl  behind peoples backs, more that I will say something I wouldn’t have the balls to tell the person to their face, some home truths that might cause offence,  unlike the real slim shady, I don’t always “got the balls to say it in front of y’all”. 

For the sake of transparency though, I might start questioning my sentences as they come out my mouth to adhere to this rule. Digitally it definitely should be the case. If what you are saying you wouldn’t say to someones face, it shouldn’t be typed and a hate campaign should never be allowed to get off the ground. Lets celebrate each others successes not drag them back down, you never know, you might be able to learn a thing or two and climb the success ladder behind them!

P.S the photo has no relevance today, in searching for a suitable “haters gonna hate” photo this one popped up and just got me dreaming of the South of France.