I know this isn’t a new idea however the current noise
around the many world events and local tragedies has forced me to put pen to
paper – or in this modern age – fingers
to keyboard!
It’s not new to comment on the way people comment on FB
posts and other Social Media and online forums. But really, although the comments are sometimes warm,
accepting and encouraging they are very often mean, nasty and even spiteful, so
much more so than compared with the comments that people would dare to say in person?
In Australia, this is so very different from
the much-lauded ethos of a ‘fair go’. Is
this just the faceless nature of social media? If it is, then, we have a lot to
answer for as we embrace all of these new mediums with little or no thought to
the ways in which they are changing our social mores forever, impacting on the
boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours and changing the way
civilised people socialise and engage in debate.
I am sometimes truly shocked to read the comments that
people are prepared to make on social media, and they make them from their
accounts which are often unsecured social profiles with an alarming amount of
personal details – do they realise?
I’ve recently read an opinion piece written by Amy Carr in
which she describes the abuse, she received after details of her action against
a barber for discrimination became known – she claims that the abuse included
rape & death threats!
Is Social Media changing society mores this much – last year
we commemorated the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day perhaps we
should remember the way the world changed during two World Wars - people
blindly followed hateful speech and behaviour.
Profound changes to societal norms followed and the defence forces,
normal civilians and even children were all caught up. What followed, as we all
know, were acts of barbaric cruelty, all committed in the name of allegiance to
some power or demigod who preached ideology which supported these acts. This type of environment allows sociopathic
behaviours to be normalised and changes society forever.
Never has it been so important to truly know yourself and to
have a strong moral compass. Principles
should be stronger than circumstance, a conviction is not something that we
change to suit the current moment. Oprah
Winfrey said, "Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that
nobody's going to know whether you did it or not." Well put – even when no one is watching –
listen to your inner voice, don’t let it be drowned out by the loud modern
world that surrounds us. We can all be
better than this – when a disaster strikes the evidence is all around.
We really need strong leaders, people who are guided by good
and moral thinking, not self-interest and expediency – am I just a dreamer? Maybe so but we certainly need to question the
ideas and the sentiment around us, even the language being used.
Ideology is a notion
best left with the gods in heaven not practised by mere mortals here on earth.
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