OptiMisanthrope

Rudeness on the internet is no new thing. People hide behind their keyboards and monitors and say mean-spirited, hateful things online that they would never say to anyone in person. I’ve run into it for years on forums and in online gaming, and it’s always an annoyance. Now I’m just fucking tired of it. I’m tired of assholes who think it’s OK to hurl insults at people they’ve never met. I’m sick of using any excuse to make personal attacks, even when the person on the receiving end has refused to sink so low. I’m sick of people not feeling like they have to have respect for fellow human beings.

Verbal abuse puts violence in the world. Being disrespectful and rude puts violence in the world. It sets an example for others. It teaches others that it is OK to vilify a person because they have a different race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, political viewpoint, place of birth, or any number of ridiculously insignificant differences. And when you teach others that people who are different do not deserve to be treated with the respect due to every human being, you are endorsing violence. Physical violence is only the physical expression of the verbal hate you’re spreading when you set that example.

You are not excused if you’re nice to people who are close to you, but have no qualms about verbally abusing complete strangers. I firmly believe that how people treat strangers is one of the best indicators of true character. If you’re good to your close family, but you think it’s OK to hide behind the anonymity of the internet and call people names, you’re not a good person. Spending your day picking on a person you know nothing about doesn’t make you clever or strong. It makes you an asshole.

I’ve just spent the last two weeks dealing with my mother being diagnosed with and then treated for cancer. I took two weeks unpaid off of work and drove for two days straight to be with her. I spent much of the last week listening to her scream as she paced up and down the room because of how much pain she was in. I’ve spent the last two days sitting by her bedside while she recovers from having her tumor and the closest lymph nodes removed. I’m exhausted and emotionally drained. I’ve been having panic attacks at night because my uncle died of cancer last month and I’m terrified of the same thing happening to my mother. The person on the internet who spent all day calling me names for no good reason, doesn’t know any of this. She would probably feel like a complete douchebag if she knew that this was the frazzled, beaten-down person she was spending her time harassing. Here’s the thing. She doesn’t get a pass for not knowing. She shouldn’t have to feel sorry for me in order to show me respect as a person. There shouldn’t have to be extenuating circumstances in order for her to feel remorse about the way she treated a stranger.

My religion teaches that honor is better than dishonor. She will never have any idea how hard it was for me to tell her “Merry Christmas” instead of “FUCK YOU.”