Saved by the Bell with Andrew Bell Cutting through the BS of social media and our online interactions Remember the simple days of social media, where we’d all spend our time bitching about people who posted pictures of everything they ate and updated us every time they had a bowel movement? Ah, the glory days. This year, we had to suffer through much worse – Drake pretending to dance, friends pretending to support social causes through a filter on their profile pictures, and desperate Americans pretending that Donald Trump and Kim Davis had rational ideas. It was exhausting, but it’s finally over, right? Guess again. Over the past decade, we’ve watched through rose-coloured glasses as most of our social interaction shuffled into a flurry of 1’s and 0’s, speeding across the world and back in the blink of an eye. We have access to more information than ever before, and a logical person might conclude that we’ve become a brighter, more educated and worldly population across the board. That logical person would be wrong, but a little dreaming never hurt anyone. The sad truth is that there’s no aptitude test required to use social media, so anyone with an email address can instantly add themselves to the two billion people who already have profiles. And, just like real life, when you put a bunch of people with different opinions into a single room and hand them all megaphones, it’s guaranteed to be a fucking disaster. If you have a spare minute, take a scroll through that brainless void affectionately known as the <strong>Windsor</strong> Star comments section for prime examples. But, since the Internet can’t be fixed, I’d like to take a moment to draw attention to a rift that’s been widening over the past year, and see if we can’t come to some sort of logical, mature conclusion on how to move forward. This divide isn’t specifically based on one hotbutton issue, but rather, on our responses to any given issue on any given day. It’s a metaphorical, inter-generational dick-swinging contest over free speech on the Internet. On one end of the spectrum, we find an ‘enlightened’ generation of so-called ‘social justice warriors’, who are fighting to rid the Internet of anything they perceive to perpetuate racism, bigotry, homophobia, ‘shame’ and other forms of marginalization. And then, on the other end, we find graduates of the School of Hard Knocks, who are convinced that we’re all too sensitive and are fed up with being shamed out of speaking their minds for fear of offending anyone. In my mind, both sides have an argument to make here. We’re in a time of masscustomization, where people can build their own social networks and choose what content they want to see. We’re also a society in the midst of a social revolution, redefining what it means to be equal and safe in a free world. And while the concept of making the Internet a ‘safe space’ sounds appealing in theory, it doesn’t work in practice – it’s ludicrous to view social media as a safe haven to avoid viewpoints you disagree with, or as a judgment-free shelter where you won’t be called out for the way you treat people who are different. To me, the most dangerous part of this Hard Knocks uprising is that it fails to recognize an important truth of social interaction: when we offend someone, we don’t get to decide if their outrage is wrong or right. Sure, there’s infuriating examples of people losing their minds en masse over the smallest, most inconsequential things, but we don’t get to decide how people feel and how they react. We roll with the punches, and we work towards that elusive common goal of unity. By and large, people who call you out on your bullshit are attempting to explain that this better world we’re working to build is tangible, and that by recognizing the consequences of your words and actions, you can make small changes to treat everyone with respect and dignity. It takes almost no effort to remove words like ‘gay’, ‘retarded’ or ‘slut’ from your lexicon. It takes even less to stop judging people based on their appearance, intelligence level or personal tastes. And I’d like to think that the premise of a world without cyber-bullying, depression and teen suicide far outweighs your cosmetic sacrifice. It’s possible that these people think they’re edgy by “fighting against Generation Butthurt” but to me, they look a lot more like a crying child throwing a temper tantrum because they can’t get their way. Losing your privilege is hard to cope with, but the world isn’t about to throw you a pity party or hand you a hot cookie. Welcome to the marginalized perspective, we hope you enjoy it here. So if you’re worried that what you’re posting is going to rub people the wrong way, take three deep breaths and try to wrap your head around the fact that what you’re posting is probably offensive. If you can’t justify a reason to post something beyond getting a reaction, you’re either a really good troll or a really bad person. It’s still your choice, of course – it’s still a free country, and an even freer Internet. Just accept that people will probably think you’re an asshole, and they’ll make sure you know that. If you can’t come to terms with that, well, put a fucking sock in it. Hold off on those songs of victory, Social Justice Warriors – if you think I’m behind you, you’ve got another thing coming. Do I think that it’s crucial that we continue to reframe global thinking on issues of social justice and human rights? Sure. But the way that so many of you go about that monumental task makes it easy to see why people are getting sick of you. It’s another lesson in applied entitlement, and I hope you’re paying attention. When most of us respond to things we see online, we have a very short reaction time, and it often leads to hyperbolic black-and-white declarations that have little to no basis in fact. We lob judgment bombs at each other safely behind our keyboards, and assign labels immediately based on where we stand on any given topic. Sometimes they’re merited, but it’s rare. Here are a few examples: You don’t think Caitlyn Jenner is a hero because of the opportunities her wealth and privilege afforded her? You’re a transphobic piece of shit. You’re not sure we have the resources to support an influx of refugees right now? You’re a xenophobic douchebag who doesn’t belong in this country. You still laugh at clips from The Cosby Show? You’re a pro-rape misogynist and I hope you break your neck. Are you picking up what I’m throwing down? We find ourselves poised at all of these critical junctures to discuss and reframe our thinking on things like sexual assault, foreign policy and gender identity, and instead of focusing on issues and solutions, you’re wasting your time drawing subjective lines in the sand between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people. You don’t even have to substantiate your decisions – just pick your side, call a spade a spade (even if you don’t know what a spade is) and spread your new perception like wildfire. Assuming you never slip up and Tweet something bigoted, you get to play judge, jury and executioner in 160 characters or less. The truth is that most people on social media are fucking idiots. That’s why we enjoy it so much, regardless of how we use it – and I’m just as guilty on all fronts. We all share the same shitty personality traits: we easily forget that other peoples’ opinions are valid, we care very little about substantiated fact, and we prioritize the sound of our own voices over the value of intellectual debate. And if we reach a point in this social experiment where we can no longer handle a free exchange of opposing ideas without digging trenches and lobbing bombs until one side wipes the other out, we’ll be willingly marching ourselves backwards through history. Indulge me for a minute, and imagine if the Internet wasn’t an endless warehouse of invisible binary data. Picture it as thousands of physical message boards planted across town, where every comment had to be written and posted. Would we risk running into the people whose character we’re trashing? Would we willingly kill a thousand trees every day just so we could all posts rambling paragraphs echoing the exact same sentiment? Save the environment, folks, and have the decency to use the passive aggressive tools (see: the Like button) that social media have to offer. If all you want is to be seen, congratulations – you’re ruining the Internet. We can’t shame each other into building a better world. All that does is make people frightened of each other, and fear can quickly manifest into hate. By continuing to educate ourselves on the changing world we live in; challenging each other’s views with respectful disagreement and verifiable facts; and striving to move the world forward together – we might just have a chance to save this floating piece of garbage before it sinks. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m attempting to explain to a grown man that advocating vigilante justice in the form of raping and torturing someone who taped a dog’s mouth shut makes them a sociopath. No wonder the aliens haven’t taken over yet – they’re patiently waiting for us to destroy ourselves. 24 JANUARY <strong>2016</strong> Vol. 04 | Issue 01
Fridays Live! <strong>January</strong> 29, <strong>2016</strong> ∙ 7-10pm $10 admission; music, hors d’oeuvres, cash bar agw.ca windsorindependent.com JANUARY <strong>2016</strong> 25
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