Reading this, it's almost easy to believe how people could be so detached, they could commit things like torture, genocide, murder... grim, yes, but our history is full of things like this. All it takes for a sane, rational person to commit awful acts is to stop thinking of your victims as peers.
It's a little sad, I know. The other day I was cruising youtube looking at certain videos (it is easy to get lost occasionally), and in the comments I mostly saw people bickering and one-upping each other. The moment someone uses incorrect grammar, the moment someone hints at something untrue, the moment someone forgets a detail in explaining something--something is there to correct them, insult them (lol you forgot to grammar dumbass), just to make themselves look smarter.
Now I'm aware that many youtube commenters are very young and are just learning how to swear, but it's still sad that the first thing these kids (and adults I'm sure) think to do is be rude to each other. I suppose it's cathartic.
Marina Abramovic demonstrates that once a person is dehumanized, either by her performance piece or in the case I'm making, the anonymity of the internet, it's easy to become aggressive and dispassionate toward your fellow human. There is no risk of confrontation, no guarantee of consequences. You can say whatever you like to someone else on the internet, get the gratification of validating your existence by hurting someone's feelings/making yourself look smarter than them, and not feel the slightest pang of guilt.
Now I'm not saying all this just to sound sanctimonious or self righteous. Feeling guilty isn't going to solve anything, and me writing this with the intent of making people feel guilty would be very ironic and hypocritical.
There is a reason people seek out to exact catharsis at the expense of others, and it's usually because there's pain in their lives. In a 13 year old's case, it can be associated with puberty hormones and their bad experiences in school (which are also exacerbated by puberty hormones). For an adult, the troubles and stress one feels can come from a thousand different directions.
However, being positive, constructive, and kind toward others DESPITE the pain and insecurities you suffer--I think that's respectable. It's something I try to do. Not because I don't have the chutzpah to be mean. I can be very proud and stubborn. Occasionally I can even be ruthless and apathetic, and after being nice hasn't solved a problem, I can easily switch to being stern and uncompromising. But for the most part, I try to stay nice. Maybe I'm smiling through my teeth sometimes, but I'm still making the effort not to take out my negative feelings on someone else.
But being pleasant to others spreads positive feelings. It could brighten someone's day a little just to hear something like, "That is an amazing effing shirt" or "I really like this part of what you wrote". That kind of thing can stick with you, and be a memory forever associated with that shirt or that post (or the theme in your post). It can also encourage positive treatment toward others in their own life.
Alternately, being rude or mean to others spreads negative feelings. Telling someone they should just go off and die, or that "everyone" thinks they're a bad writer--that can really bring someone down. And that person might take this out on others they know as well.
There is such a thing as tough love, and sometimes harsh criticism is needed. I'm very stern with my friends when I feel like they're making mistakes or being jackasses--but I'm only stern with my FRIENDS, not strangers. They know that I'm being honest and that I still respect them, and they should take to heart what I'm saying.
And really, no matter how pleasant or positive I am, there will always be a sea of angry, bitter, lonely people who are only too happy to be a negative influence on someone else's life. If I feel like someone needs to learn that their behavior is not acceptable, I can trust others to not be as forgiving as I am.
The world doesn't revolve around me, or you, or any one person. We're all a part of a bigger community, and the things we do affect people around us, and the people around them. It's not all that hard to try to be a positive force and offset the negativity someone else is bound to cause.
Well, I guess those are my thoughts, lol. If only I could put this kind of energy into creative writing. Back to writer's block for me.
