SwirlingFire: Never Again

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Never Again

Revenge

Definition:

To exact punishment for a wrong doing on behalf, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit

Thesaurus: 

Attack, eye for an eye, malevolence, measure for measure, retribution, vindictive

Karma

Definition:

The good or bad emanations felt to be generated by someone/thing

Thesaurus:

Fate, feeling, power

Schadenfreude

Definition from German Origin:

Satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune

Source Dictionary.com

Three words I’ve heard in copious amounts lately.  All, either in DM or tweet tirades and political slanging matches.  All having quite different dictionary definitions but very easy to understand how we can misinterpret the true meaning and how easy it is to miscommunicate how we feel –  sad, emotional, passionate, militant, angry, incensed, sickened, disgusted, tearful, full of rage.  All these adjectives have been prevalent within social media on a regular basis. Since March  2020 , Covid19 related Worldwide lockdowns, employment, income and any other life circumstance have been forced upon us.  Many choose to disregard or maintain that a virus without cure actually exists, the masks on/off debates battle and billions of sterling, dollars, euros and every other currency lost to a death seeking virus that has had more people denying it’s validity more than The Holocaust.

Two tsunami that ripped through the entire world with no one capable of stopping the speed at which both events polarised so many people at one time in History.  How is it possible that tens of thousands of deaths have been lost to a new virus, mortuary services unable to accommodate those that perished yet seemingly, nearly a million people in 2020 have lost their lives to an invisible enemy.  Isn’t that how Racism takes hold of the next generation ?  Creeping silently from one host to another, invisible breath and words that are taught** and, not in the virus case, caught.

** Racism is taught not Caught – Emmanuel Acho

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The silent but deadly, the stealthy yet manipulative and insidious voices that grow in number, without any rational way to stop the seeping pus splashing us.

I see such hateful comments within Twitter and similar social media platforms.  Our news channels and papers generally sanitised to show us information that demonstrates the wondrous achievements of those in power, rarely do we see accountability for political misdemeanours and errors.  How many millions of lives would have been saved for one person to admit mistakes were made or decisions made too late or any permutations of responsibility acknowledged and used to prevent future atrocities ?

I see many people on Twitter joining and soaking up for oppressed minorities, racism, antisemitism, gender issues, supporting PoC yet, in their real lives, under the mask of anonymity, spew such bile to strangers it’s difficult not to lose respect for people we once trusted.

Where do we stand with our support ?  By posting supportive flag memes and logos ?  By self silencing ?  Blocking one another ?  As healthy exchanges of views from strangers are rarely possibly when mud slinging without conversation get more ‘likes’ and fawners and ultimately the attention seeking that is paramount to satiate the craving of importance.

I’ve personally reached out to local groups and organisations for educational material and ally ship references. Those organisations have not treated me like the worthless piece of flesh that some people have decreed and have decided to perpetuate.  I’ve learnt to be very careful how I express myself as it has, in the past, personally put me in the firing line of real life physical abuse and as part of Twitter, receiving hateful public comments by self appointed experts.  Ironically, by choosing to observe, read and learn and not comment either way on specific subjects,  I’ve been reliably informed, I’m placed on a hate list reminiscent of The Final Solution.

I cannot support any group, organisation or person that thinks aligning their perceived right to be heard and treated with respect, to this period in history, is a mentally healthy route  to raise awareness for their cause.

To even consider thinking to breathe life back into a practice so abhorrent (for not speaking my truth or at the very very basic level, being asked a question directly), places serious questions of mental stability and politics of that actionable horror and places questions for the physical safety of those listed from the baying angry mob.

I know real people without hidden addendum that I can ask questions and learn the best ways to not only say the right things but also live my life in ways that are healthy for everybody in the future. That unfortunately is my naivety and a pipe dream.  Without hate, many people would be without purposeful goals and attention.

Taking breaks from social media for mental health reasons are always an excellent idea. Silencing the very people that need a voice and that may only have social media as their companion and place of safety could be viewed as counter productive. We all need to strive to learn healthy characteristics at all times of the day. Sadly, for some, it’s too far to reach.

Swirlingfire: A Posting History

@Swirlingfire, 27 July 2020

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