Gary Lineker, the former England footballer now pundit with the BBC, posted a comment on Twitter about a match that had just been played between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs won the game and Mr. Lineker was delighted with the result because he used to play for that team and he said so on Twitter.
His comment was liked 19 thousand times and there were 322 replies. Many of those replies were nothing short of insulting, abusive and full of foul language. The vitriol expressed, and the amount of bad language used was difficult to understand and I just don’t get it.
I enjoy Twitter and I appreciate a witty comment and it can be a very entertaining forum, but this other type of nonsense should not be allowed on any site. It’s unacceptable and there’s no place for it. I have no doubt that Gary Lineker is well able to mind himself and I’m sure he doesn’t let those comments get to him. But there are other people who aren’t as resilient and can be affected by this kind of abuse.
I don’t know what the answer is or even if there is anything we can do to prevent it, but it was annoying me. I was annoyed that these people were spouting rubbish and were not being challenged for their behaviour, so, I tried a little experiment.
I replied to a few of these Tweets and in some cases, I corrected their grammar and in others I sarcastically complimented them on being so articulate. I marvelled at their extensive vocabulary when, in reality, they were unable to get beyond the use of four letter words. I didn’t have to wait too long before I got a reaction.
A few of them discussed among themselves the fact that I had appeared on the thread and they were wondering who I was. Then they began to tell me to get lost for myself, but they didn’t put is as nicely as that. Some users liked my comments to the abusers while others liked the abuser’s messages to me but all in all I seemed to be winning the popularity stakes by about two to one.
I have to say, I found it amusing and I got some pleasure from calling these guys out. I have absolutely no idea if I had any impact on any one of these muppets, but I would be delighted with myself if I made even one of them feel a bit daft. Sometimes, even something small can hit a nerve and make an impression.
There is a guy called Arno Michaelis from America and he wrote a book called My Life After Hate. He was a founding member of what became the largest racist skinhead organisation in the world. Today he has switched sides and now works with Serve2Unite, an organisation that engages young people of all backgrounds as peacemakers.
He says; “I grew up in an alcoholic household where emotional violence was the norm and as a kid who was told I could achieve anything, I reacted to that emotional violence by lashing out and hurting people. I started out as the bully on the school bus, and by the time I was in middle school I was committing serious acts of vandalism.”
“I radiated hostility, especially towards anyone with a darker skin complexion than mine, and I had a swastika tattooed on the middle finger of my right hand. One time I was greeted by a black lady at a McDonald’s cash register with a smile as warm and unconditional as the sun. When she noticed the swastika tattoo on my finger, she said: ‘You’re a better person than that. I know that’s not who you are.’ Powerless against such compassion, I fled from her steady smile and authentic presence, never to return to that McDonald’s again.”
That lady in McDonalds may not be aware of the impression she left on Michaelis but her decision to challenge him had a profound effect. So, should we be doing more of this with the Internet trolls?
What exactly is a troll? Well, according to Wikipedia, a troll is a class of being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. They’re described as beasts that dwell in isolated rocks, mountains, or caves. They usually live together in small family units and are rarely helpful to human beings.
They live far from human habitation and are considered dangerous to humans. Depending on the source, their appearance varies greatly; trolls may be ugly and slow-witted, or look and behave exactly like human beings, with no particularly grotesque characteristic about them. They have also been described as obese and warty creatures who live under bridges who only venture out by night.
A modern-day troll is someone who deliberately annoys others online, typically through inflammatory, offensive, or provocative comments. Their intent is to upset others and elicit an emotional response. In the pursuit of their goal, trolls might rant, post death threats, or spew hate speech.
So, the only difference between the two definitions, is that the modern version uses technology and the Internet. But both species hide in the dark and belong under rocks.
Most of what they have to say makes little or no sense and is designed to be offensive and to get a reaction. So, I suppose if they can get you wound up to the extent that you get angry and start showing your anger in your replies, then they have achieved their goal. They’ve won.
From my bit of research, a lot of these creatures have absolutely no command of the English language and have no idea about grammar or punctuation. My four-year old grandson has a larger vocabulary than most of them, so don’t let them get to you.