That’s… not entirely true. I mean, I get the sentiment… but in practicality, it doesn’t usually work out that way. And let me explain, as one of the internet’s more “controversial” personalities.
I am a cartoonist and occasionally I make political cartoons expressing my left-leaning liberal ideology. Inevitably I get right-leaning conservatives coming into my comments section trying to debate me and explain why my comic is “wrong” or “stupid” or whatever.
Despite my overwhelming negative reputation, I actually do try to talk to some of these people and explain my ideology. And every time the end result of the conversation is a block. Every. Single. Time.
I have tried repeatedly to talk to these people. I provide them with data. I provide them with links to my sources. I patiently wade through their tirades and insults and try to unpack their half-baked conclusions… and after a while I come to realization that there is nothing I can do for them. They do not want to listen. They are not GOING to listen. And right now all I am doing is ruining my mental health trying to deal with their abuse.
At some point the conversation has to come to an end. And these people NEVER want to be the second to last in a conversation because the optics of that makes it look like their failed. So even when I say “goodbye, I can’t do this anymore” they have to keep coming back and keep trying to prop the dead conversation up. Because then they can screen cap it and tell all their friends “I WON AGAINST THIS LIBERAL CUCK!”
So when I start to see the conversations going south, and see people not listening or responding to my attempts to come to a mutual agreement, I block them now. I block LIBERALLY these days, because it’s only gotten worse.
I understand the idea that we need to talk to these people and get them out of their isolated mindsets, but on the flip-side letting their hate and bile spill out into your life and muddy up your mental health just for some moralizing victory is not worth it. Take it from someone who’s had to deal with this stuff for over a decade.
And, honestly, I think ISOLATING them is a FAR more effective tactic. Removing their base of operations or places that they gather is MUCH more effective in cleaning up their radicalization than trying to change their minds one user at a time.
This is why Cloudfire removing support for 8chan is a big deal. This is why Reddit quarantining “The Donald” was a big deal. This is why preventing people like Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking at colleges is a big deal. This is why protests against public displays of Nazi rhetoric is a bid deal. This is why sites like Ravelry or RPG.Net banning anything related to Trump is a big deal.
Radicals WANT you to debate them. They don’t care if they win or lose. What they CARE about is getting their message out to AS MANY PEOPLE as possible. This is why debating Nazis on public television is ALWAYS a terrible idea. This is why reading Trump’s racist tweets on the news is a BAD idea. And this is why whenever there’s a shooter, people demand that news outlets DON’T speak their name or show their picture. Remove their ability to become a martyr. Remove their ability to radicalize. Did they leave a manifesto? Cool. DON’T READ IT ON TELEVISION OR PUBLISH IT IN FULL IN THE NEWSPAPER.
Now, there will be people who will bemoan that you’re “blocking their free speech” or that you’re a “coward” for not debating them, or that you’re “blocking anything that you disagree with,” but you can’t let that get to you. Let it roll off your back. They can say whatever they want, but you are under NO LEGAL OBLIGATION to listen to them or even entertain their nonsense. Blocking is a tool, and yes it can get abused, but ultimately if it helps you sleep at night because you’re no longer worrying about some racist asshole trying to 1-up you on your feed, then by all means… BLOCK ‘EM.
Your mental health is more important than their need to be seen/heard. Take care of yourself, and in the process, cut off their ability to spread their toxicity by blocking them from your feeds.
The block button is your friend.
theartofmadeline
germansingergirl
kaledo-art
dailybridgerton
gummygunk
blakekathryn
snowghoul
origamiaround
dededos
