I had a bad experience yesterday.
I was discussing characters from a popular new fandom, and I happened to express a controversial opinion about one of them. When I had that discussion, it was with a set few people I’d been talking to, and it was part of a wider conversation. I didn’t tag it in the main tag, I explained my reasons, and the people I’d been talking to either agreed with me or said I had a valid point, even if they disagreed.
Then, someone who doesn’t follow me and wasn’t part of the conversation reblogged one post, without its tags, and out of context. Anyone who doesn’t know me or my blog might therefore look at it and draw conclusions about me that are quick and unfair. It was actually reblogged with the addition of ‘I hope you die’.
Interestingly, this person didn’t choose to reblog any of the in-depth and reasoned discussions I’d had about the character, or the replies where people were discussing the topic: they chose the most out-of-context, attention-grabbing post in order to incite hatred and drama.
It was like tabloid media: they didn’t care about the truth, they cared about attention.
Worse: people reblogged that post from this person, attacking me in it, and I suddenly got 60+ nasty anons on a range of social media platforms that ranged from, ‘lol shut up you fucking phobe’ and ‘I hope you kill yourself’.
That went on for 9 hours.
Not one of those people bothered to visit my blog and read the discussion. No one bothered to consider my profile or read my other posts to get a balanced view of the conversation. They all just cruelly mocked, insulted and attacked me, revelling in their perceived moral high-ground.
As much as I hate to say it: this site is renowned for that. The ‘Tumblr Mob Mentality’, people call it. Up until now I’d never been a victim of it, but let me tell you how fucking awful it is. It’s horribly unfair that people still keep reblogging the posts mocking me without reading the full conversation, or considering the motives of the person who attacked me in the first place.
So, before you reblog a call out post, make sure you have the full story. Don’t be reduced to a Tumblr Rent-a-Mob member - don’t let someone whip you into a hateful frenzy without making sure you know what’s really going on.
There is never a reason to cruelly mock, attack or insult someone - it’s not ‘smart’, it’s not ‘witty’, you’re not ‘fighting the good fight’ - you’re just being awful, and you’re better than that.
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