Dear Internet Trolls, GET A LIFE!
I ended my communications and social media marketing business for a few different reasons, but one delightful consequence of my actions meant getting away from the internet because it’s a breeding ground for freaks. I’m a people pleaser, and seeing nasty comments online hurts. IMMENSELY.
For me, I think the online comments hurt more because of the intent. I know I’ve let something slip out of my mouth I didn’t mean (or it came out in a way I didn’t intend), but if you took the time to THINK about it, WRITE it down and then press ENTER. That takes a lot of thought, consideration, and just plain meanness to spread in the world. A conscious choice to be mean. It wasn’t an accident. It was a deliberate decision.
I’m on my church festival planning committee. We haven’t had a festival in the past 3 years due to COVID and construction on campus. We had to make a lot of difficult decisions, and there were more obstacles in our way than the French Revolution, but we did our best with what we had. We were proud of the product we supplied. However, the internet trolls were out in FULL FORCE. Some of the things people wrote on our Facebook page were just hateful.
This makes me wonder … WHO ATTACKS CHURCH VOLUNTEERS ON THE INTERNET!?
Truly? What kind of person attends an event at a church and then spews the kind of anger, spite and hate toward good people who are working for free?? We are giving up our time, spending long nights away from our families, giving of our talents, and spending our paid time off (some of whom have given up 40+ hours to put on this event for you meanies and I’m guessing they would rather use this time to be by a beach or something) and you have the audacity to treat people this way?
I get it, keyboard cowboys are always stronger behind the mask of the screen than they would be in person. But it still hurts my feelings. I worked hard to be part of this great group of people who have given so much. I don’t want to entertain anything other than positive energy.
So, I’m working to hold this Bible verse close to my heart as I remember we worked hard, did something good and we did have many people who were happy to be together again. I am working hard to stop allowing those who spread ill will drown out those who spread happiness and share in the good we have done. We had many kind-hearted, loving volunteers and wonderful parishioners, and other attendees who said wonderful things. Why is it the squeaky wheels always get the most attention and suck the most out of my soul!?
What do you do when internet trolls have you down?
About Heather
(So, my web designer says I needed to include a bio, though I find this task silly because, if you’re here, you know me.)
I’m a writer. It’s what I do. It’s a cathartic mechanism when I need release from my anxiety. I’ve had blogs in the past; I’ve taken them down, but I never stopped writing. I simply can’t. My notes app is forever long as it’s filled with pages and pages of different topics. Sometimes I just write a few sentences. Sometimes I write paragraphs.
Recently, I've been writing long essays. My friends and others I hold dear have coaxed me into sharing my work again.
So that's what I'm doing, you wicked, pushy people. LOL
I have no desire to see my writing be anything more than an opportunity to share what I love doing most. I have no interest in this blog reaching the masses.
I thought it would be fun to call it My Spicy Disaster because that's often how I feel. A complete mess of epic proportion. So join me, if you'd like, and let's pretend we're not sitting amongst the chaos crying, but laughing instead.
Or maybe we do cry sometimes, but then wipe our tears and remember one person’s disaster is another person’s … well, who the hell knows …