Why I May Have Unfollowed You on Twitter

Warning: This post is a rant about people who engage in stupid, politically motivated, hysterical behavior on Twitter. 

This post also contains foul language. If you are offended by foul language then please, you should fuck off now.

Hey… at least I said “please”  😀

Now let me be clear, I do loves me my Twitter.

It’s an amazing tool for finding information on a wide range of subjects. It’s also great for networking and sharing info and advice with other bloggers, photographers, and writers.

What I don’t like about Twitter? How some tend to abuse over-use it to share their political ‘opinions’.

When I first started back in 2012, I was more than a little skeptical about Twitter. It all seemed like one big electronic echo chamber. A virtual soapbox with everyone shouting out their own message – generating tons of noise with no one actually listening.

Over time I learned to use its features and I got better (or so I thought) about who I chose to follow.  This has helped cut through the clutter and I’ve since found lots of genuinely useful content.

However, some people have a tendency of letting their emotions get the better of them. Then to make matters worse as the internal pressure mounts, their good judgment goes out the window too.

The next thing you know they’re all over Twitter flinging around their verbal feces with lots of other electronic monkeys, generating a shit storm that basically ruins the fun for the rest of us.

Recently I’ve noticed that it has gotten worse.

A lot fucking worse.

During what has been the most contentious if not downright toxic embarrassing political cluster-fucks presidential campaigns in U.S. history, I’ve noticed how both sides have mastered the art of manipulating the emotions of those who are too fucking stupid to think for themselves susceptible to such influences, in order to get these idiots to fling even more feces on their behalf.

In marketing circles we call these chumps good people, ‘Brand Ambassadors’ 😉

I’m not talking about people who chime in with an occasional opinion on something and then move on. We all do that from time to time. I’m talking about nut-jobs on either side, who like a dog on a bone just don’t know when to let go.

Recently in my feed there was the race car driver lady who went on a fifteen to twenty tweet tirade about how (famous really rich guy) Mark Cuban had no business appearing as an invited guest on a TV news channel to offer his (negative) political opinion about her candidate because in her words, “Mark Cuban has no fucking political experience!”

I scrolled through her thread of venom in stunned silence. The most amazing thing: 427 likes, 148 retweets.

My first thought: This is a joke right? People can’t really be that stupid…can they?

Because that orange guy you support who’s not only expressing his opinions, but is actually running to become your next President, he has been telling everybody how his own lack of political experience is what will make him in his own self-aggrandizing way, “the best President ever”….

Pause….

Really long pause… *drumming fingers on desk waiting for the connection to be made*

Bueller?

Bueller?

No?

C’mon! Really?

Okay, so apparently when a person becomes hysterical on Twitter the first thing that goes is their sense of irony.

Look folks, I can tolerate a certain amount of stupidity and I can even wait out an occasional bout of hysteria, but please for Pete’s sake, not both at the same time!

Then there’s this writer guy in Vancouver who has been going on and on about Hillary’s emails this, and Hillary’s emails that…non-stop for two days!

Hey snapper-head look at a map will ya! You’re Canadian – it’s not your country – you don’t get a vote in the U.S. election, so shut up already!

And just so you don’t think I’m being too partisan about this, there’s the really angry young lady in the southwest somewhere who has been tweeting regular invitations to that orange guy to come on over and just try grabbing her lady-parts to see what’ll happen.

Okay Miss, we get it: He said some truly vulgar things about women during what he thought was a private conversation 10+ years ago, and you’re really pissed about it.

If you feel that this is offensive enough to prevent him from being your president, I get that. But the only opinion that matters is the one you express in the booth on voting day.

In the meantime, please stop offering up your vagina all over Twitter all day long because as enticing as you may think your invitation is; I assure you he’s kinda too busy right now to take you up on it.

So then my second thought was: How long have I been ‘following’ these idiots hysterical hyenas?

And then, What the hell was I thinking?!

There are those who’ll say, It’s a free country and I’m entitled to my opinion.

Yes, you’re absolutely right. And all I have to do is hit the ‘unfollow’ button, which is what I have been doing lately – more than ever before.

Of course everyone is entitled to their opinions, but unless you WANT to be considered as one of those unfortunate marginal types who stands around on street corners barking at strangers while wearing a tinfoil hat, the need for a certain measure of self-control when expressing opinions anywhere in public, including on social media, should be obvious.

Okay maybe that’s just a fancy way of saying; Hey there, why don’t you calm the fuck down and go for a walk!

They say that the great thing about social media is that now everybody has a platform to share their opinions with the world.

All I know is that before social media you used to have to invite people over for dinner and get them really drunk before you’d have to endure their obnoxious ranting opinions.

Essentially it feels at times like social media is democratizing and legitimizing stupidity and hysteria – exactly when what the world needs most is wisdom, calm, and true leadership.

I love people, I really do – just not when they’re spewing a constant stream of venom, hatred, or pointless stupidity out into the world.

So if I’ve been following you up to now on Twitter and you’ve been tweeting non-stop election stupidity like the examples above, chances are pretty good that I won’t be on your followers list for long.

I suspect you may not even notice that I’m gone what with all that outrage you’ve been busy spreading. But if you are looking for me, I’ll be busy engaging in adult conversations with grown-ups.

You know, the ones who can express themselves calmly, thoughtfully, and in complete sentences, and then let it go without droning on and on like a ranting loony with a tinfoil hat.

Note to newcomers: I’m generally harmless but I do sometimes need to let off a little steam. It’s usually only once or twice a year. Last year’s rant was about refugees and was prompted by our own rather divisive Canadian federal election campaign.

I don’t bite – I promise. At worst I just unfollow. Life’s too short and our time here is too precious to spend it arguing with strangers over the internet.