Don’t be a Couch Activist
A year ago my fiance and I were talking about Tumblr. We often find ourselves in tags that have what we call ‘couch activists’.
Let me explain what that is. A couch Activist is someone who is overly PC. If you dare to make the slightest move in the wrong you will be called out by this person. They thrive on being superior to everyone else in their tolerance of everything, while shaming those they perceive to be ‘intolerant’. They are the kind of people who rant about a blog that may have said something that could be a simple mistake but is taken the wrong way. They pick apart that blog and send message after message telling this person what a horrible person they are. They are often not in the perceived offended group as well. They have lifted themselves to the spokesperson of all groups, and can find fault with everything.
*Example: Cis-gendered person gets offended at a blog who mentions a trans person. The blog, as an example says “I don’t like Susy. She is mean to me.” with Susy being a transgirl, and they take that as meaning “You must hate all trans people!”. Then start a fight with this person about their perceived ‘offense’, even when Trans people come in saying “Umm.. no this isn’t a trans issue. Susy is just mean”.
*I know most cis-gendered people aren’t like this. This is just an example made to prove a point.
They also tend to be that person who will complain about how horrible something is, do the very basics of public perception of not doing the horrible thing, and rant to anyone who listens that they are better because of A,B,C.
*Example: A Vegetarian tells someone who isn’t, that they are better because they don’t eat meat. The reason they don’t eat meat is because of the poor conditions of the animals in farms and unsanitary living. They however, don’t sign petitions to assist with animals, don’t volunteer, don’t even reblog posts about improving farming situations. They just don’t eat meat. Yet, they rant they are better than those ‘cow killers’ but can’t be bothered to assist animals in any way, shape, or form.
*Please note the above example does NOT mean all Vegetarians are like this. Most assist with animal welfare or help in some ways. Same with Vegans. *fists in air* You go kick ass people who do good things in this world!!!!!
Due to these Couch Activists it’s really hard to stay on Tumblr for long. I have had to unfollow a number of people due to their Couch Activist rants.This has really become a problem because while it’s so lovely to see so many people be so accepting of others, it’s a damn shame to see people abusing the hell out of it.
Let me make this clear. If someone does something wrong or says something wrong, then apologizes for it, you should drop it. If they did this in real life, you would let it go. Don’t forget they did that, and yes you have the right to be upset by their actions, but let it go. They recognized they made a mistake, took ownership of it, and apologized for it. But yet, these Couch Activists rant on these subjects until they drive that person away, often times with death threats against them.
Couch Activists are the same people who will start a riot over something small. They fan flames and keep a fire that should have died out, burning until it takes out the whole town. Don’t allow your blog to be filled with these people. They are more about hate than about love. They would rather shoot down people than bring them up. They prop themselves up on righteousness only to smother others in their smugness.
Don’t be a Couch Activist.
TL;DR: Don’t be a lazy, offended asshole, and accept apologies when necessary.