Why can’t we all just get along?
In the 1996 movie ‘Mars Attacks’ Jack Nicholson asks the question which was made famous by Rodney King. “Why can’t we all just get along?”
And that’s the question I’m posing to my TL today.
I swear that if it weren’t for a handful of people on my Twitter timeline and for my direct message group, IBIS, I would drop my TW account like a hot potato.
When I joined in July of 2019, it was because of BTS. My daughter, who turned me onto the group, had an account and we found it a fun way to stay in touch with everything related to BTS. So, I thought, why not, we can chat with each other, download photos, and meet like-minded people, known as ARMY. It was fun at first, and an easy way to learn more about BTS, but lately it’s all vitriol and discord. It feels like a battleground.
Visit the TL at any time of the day, and you will experience a war zone, and encounter finger-pointing and a series of rules and regulations. Who knew liking an artist came with an instruction manual? I won’t even try to explain some of the things on this “list”.
- Don’t follow multis – anyone who likes other groups (when did this become a crime?)
- Don’t follow solo stans
- Don’t follow new accounts
- Don’t follow anyone under 18
- Block everyone who follows this person
- Block this entire list of people
- Block anyone who likes (fill in the blank)
- Block anyone who doesn’t like (fill in the blank)
And the list goes on ad nauseum…
It’s getting so bad that many have dropped out of Twitter completely. They grew tired of all the bickering and feuding and were made to feel guilty over things they posted. It’s common to be berated or even threatened in public. And often it’s over trivial things, such as admitting that you didn’t care for a particular outfit that a member was wearing. It’s as though you threatened to assassinate a world leader!
And that’s the part that’s very hard to swallow – the overreactions and overzealousness that’s occurring. Everything is either black or white, or right or wrong. They are no longer any shades of gray. And because of this kind of behavior, innocent people are also being affected.
This week the s—t hit the fan when a man was accidentally put on a public block list (because someone didn’t check their facts) and was suddenly overwhelmed with ARMY assaulting his timeline. Luckily, he was very gracious and forgiving about the incident, but the poor guy didn’t even know who BTS was. Can you imagine? However, this is not an uncommon occurrence. “Twitterers” are asking themselves, what did I do wrong? How did I get on THIS list? Why do these people hate me? It’s mania!
What happened to innocent until proven guilty? Often your only offense is liking a person who was on a list. Guilt by association. That’s all it takes. You are thrown to the dogs for no apparent reason. We are asked to “turn in” people so they can be publicly humiliated in front of the whole world. There is no way to defend yourself because you are immediately judged and found guilty by groups of self-made ARMY appointees. It’s frequently and sadly reminiscent of uglier times we’ve experienced in human history. And as we all know, history does repeat itself.
I realize that there are “bad” people on Twitter, as there are elsewhere in life, but please leave the decision of whether to like/unlike or follow/unfollow someone, for me to decide as a thinking and discerning adult. Please do not act as my judge or jury, or anyone else’s.
I like so many others, simply want to sit back and enjoy BTS without all the uproar, and that’s why I felt I had no choice but to privately (and of my own accord) thin the herd by unfollowing nearly two-hundred people on Twitter this week. While I only follow a limited number, even many of them made me rethink my choices.
I’m weary of the immaturity that’s filtered its way in.
Is it asking too much to want my TL to become that happy place that I once knew? I’m not sure if it is, but I’m trying my best to re-attain it. 💜
