A few thoughts have been rattling around my head recently. For the most part they keep out of the way, but then during the quiet moments they emerge, throw spanners into any nearby spinning cogs or wheels, and then take a step back to admire their handywork.
Where to start?
How about the continual waves of spite and indignation that seem to wash over every “social” network - where people either complain they have been censored for posting things they think everybody should know, or complain they can’t stop others from posting anything they don’t agree with.
If you believe what you read, just about every social platform gets accused on a daily basis by somebody or other of being run by fascists or Nazis. Apparently “they” should do more to counter, censor, or ban this, that or the other. Apparently everything anybody posts should be fact checked, and weighed against cultural and ethical norms.
Erm. Nope?
I can’t quite understand how so many people so easily shift the blame to “the man”, rather than taking it upon themselves to ever lift a finger. It’s very easy to either ignore or block that which they would rather not see.
Yes, I know racists, bigots, and homophobes exist. I report, block, and ignore as seems appropriate based on the nonsense they share, or the determination with which they try to share it. I never confront directly, because that feeds them the oxygen they’re seeking.
I’ve mentioned a cartoon I saw some years ago - of a man hunched over a computer in the dark, while his other half is heading to bed - captioned “I’ll be up in a minute - I just need to explain to this person why they are wrong”.
I will admit to a moment of weakness just recently. I received a marketing opportunity for my YouTube channel by email - from a very well known brand. The content of the email looked good. Unfortunately the sender used a burner email address at a polish service provider, and their name didn’t match the email address, or the introduction in their own email. I replied - never a good idea - and enquired why these pieces of information didn’t add up. I also forwarded the email to the marketing department of the well-known brand - enquiring if they were aware that this particular scam was ongoing.
Neither party replied. I didn’t really expect them to.
This morning while scrolling Threads I saw a rash of posts by what you might term “attractive young ladies” - fishing for compliments. I believe the modern term is “thirst traps”. Curiosity got the better of me, and I looked at one of the accounts - which lead to a URL forwarding service (never a good sign), and a page that set off the malware defences in the web browser.
It took seconds to block and report “her”.
Before doing so, I looked at the comments to one of her posts - filled with hundreds of legends in their own lunchtime, trying to be the funniest person in the room - to woo the non-existent young lady. I couldn’t help feeling a little bit depressed that so many people are so naïve.
Anyway.
I’ve been thinking. Never a good idea, I know.
I’m going to try and make more time for writing.
When I look back at my personal blog - started over twenty years ago - I am often surprised at how good it used to be. For far too long it’s been a few minutes here - a few minutes there - and while I mostly subscribe to Norah Ephron’s comment about a blog being “sort of like an exhale”, there’s a part of me that would like to write something of substance - of consequence. Something thoughtful. Worth reading.
I guess the problem is I don’t write “for” anybody. The personal blog is very much moulded around “Hello. I’m here. And by the way. On the other hand. Nevertheless. Did you see?” - there is no mission or agenda.
Maybe that’s the point.
When we cross paths with somebody new in the real world we don’t set out what we’re looking for in a friend - we slowly discover our similarities and differences through shared stories.
I’m sharing my forgettable stories, idiotic thoughts, and damn-fool ideas.