After the mass shooting in #Jacksonville, I wrote a post about gun violence. Gun violence stats for the US in 2018 will make ‘any reasonable person nauseous’.
Internet trolls, as it turns out, have their own particular type of reasoning. A comment on my post ended with: “To lower the death by gun rate in America liberals need to stop being idiots.”
But what I realized was that every troll these days has the same argument. It’s the only argument left when you are talking about the senseless deaths of innocent people.
“Stop caring.”
This is the only counter-argument to hearing the sound of gunfire, the screams of people as they lay dying or injured.
“Stop caring that people were hurt.”
It’s the only argument left when school children are gunned down mercilessly.
“Stop caring.”
What other logical argument is there, really?
And look! You can also apply that same logic to all sorts of issues.
Middle class families can’t afford cancer treatments? Stop caring say the trolls.
Unarmed black men and boys being gunned down by police? Stop your caring! shout the trolls. (And definitely don’t let your caring get in the way of our football others add.)
Refugees escaping violence have irreparable harm don to their children by our government? Stop caring say the trolls.
Homeless people freezing to death? Not worth caring about argue the trolls.
Football players dying of CTE? It’s their own choice. Stop caring shouts the chorus of trolls.
Women the world over victims of sexual assault? No need to worry your little head about such things say the trolls. Stop caring so much about it.
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The goal of internet trolls everywhere is to minimize and normalize abuse. It’s to get you to *stop caring* about it. Because it is overwhelming, and heartbreaking, and the enormity of the problem stuns you every time it happens.
But if you are like me, you simply refuse to stop caring.
You refuse to believe there aren’t enough people to care.
You refuse to give up fighting.
You resist the temptation to look away, to stay silent, to or to let the trolls convince enough people not to care so people in power can go on abusing.
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I will not stop caring.
No matter what the trolls say.
"Snowflake is a word used by sociopaths in an attempt to discredit the notion of empathy." – John Cleese
— Secret Agent Number Six (@DesignationSix) December 31, 2018
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Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash
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More on gun violence and working towards solutions.
Raise Your Hand if You Have Blood on Your Hands
The Patterns in Mass Shootings and a Conversation About Men
When the NRA Comes Calling
Fighting for My God-Given Right to Own Cobras
Your War to End
Thoughts and Prayers Do Not Work to Stop School Shootings. Stop Sending Them.
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