The clock ticked past 10am a little over fifteen minutes ago. I’m sitting barefoot in the junk room in front of the computer, scrolling through blog posts, reading, subscribing, liking, and commenting.
While scrolling I happened upon a long conversation between writers - discussing the nature of a particular platform - and eye-rolled pretty hard at their self validatory “impress the crowd” observations. After falling down their rabbit hole for a few minutes, imaginary popcorn in hand, thinking “where do these people even come from?”, I noticed something interesting.
They were all middle aged men.
They reminded me of the Michael Sheen character in “Midnight in Paris” - the wonderfully conceited faux intellectual that has wrote observations and opinions on everything and anything that will impress those that don’t want to see the façade. Their aloof pissing competition was entertaining in it’s depressing inevitability.
What is it with some people? How polarised do you have to become before setting out to influence whoever you can about whatever idiotic world view you’ve taken up as a crusade?
I enjoy watching. Observing. I would say without judgement, but then I’ve just ripped into an entire subculture of the internet. I’ve always been fascinated by people though - their thoughts, their opinions, their stories. I try not to take sides - sitting on fences whenever conversations turn to anything remotely divisive. I don’t know enough about politics, religion, race, or sexuality to have anything like an “educated opinion”, but I do tend to react quite badly when being told what to think.
Over the last few years I’ve become increasingly weary of “the social internet”, and the longer term effects of the algorithmic timelines. I’ve written about it before - about people surrounding themselves with concordant feedback, and presuming that their ignorant, hateful, or bigoted views are shared by the majority.
Why does the majority rule so many people’s thoughts, ideas and opinions? Just because many might agree with an opinion doesn’t mean it’s right.
It’s all a bit mad really.
Anyway.
How the hell did that rabbit hole happen?
I need another coffee - and then we’re taking the car to get washed and cleaned. Our new car is white. Ever since we bought it, the weather has been despicably atrocious. It currently looks like it has completed a stage of the Monte Carlo rally.