i’m not going to pretend like i haven’t occasionally had a rough go of it on this or other online platforms but one thing you’ll never see me do is write an essay about people being mean to me on the internet. why? because i’m an adult who understands that there are real problems in the world.
It's now my life goal to become your nemesis and be so mean to you online that you write that essay! 👹 (Just kidding, obviously 😁)
Lol. Mean people suck.
Also it's a god damn website and there are mean people that have access to the internet. If you can't handle people being assholes, maybe the internet isn't your thing. And that's ok - many of us lived for DECADES with no internet! (it was pretty nice)
Might be helpful to drop a link..though we probably already know..
Write it but only about the Forrest Gump thing
thanks for being an adult...we need more of them!
I looked up the block lists that I was on… and I wanna know why! 😭😂
How do you do that? Just curious.
Clearsky
Thanks for the reply.
Np 😊
I just used it. Interesting.
Don't take it personally. Maga accts block for no reason
I never take it personally when somebody blocks me. Everyone gets to make their choices, me included. Turns out I block a whole lot more accounts than block me.
Someone put a few of us on one of those stupid f'kn maga blocklists. I'll assume it was a maga acct pretending to be on the left Or, just an asshole.
Not surprised that accounts have done that. Oh, well.
Me too! I didn’t understand it either.
Nice xx
I swear to god, these reactionary centrists who obsess about online civility wouldn't last a week as a black person. Soft-ass motherf-ers.
Huh? I’m seeing the leftists demand people be removed preemptively, not “centrists”
Removed? No, just ignored. Seems about right. I piss you off? Ignore me. You piss me off? I ignore you.
Seems pretty simple to me! Same advice I would have given my daughter when she was in junior school!
100 percent
Y'all stereotyping here. There are zealots on both sides and I assume some of them are good people. There are times when civility is called for and times when we need to let it rip motherfuckers.
Excellent point!!
"Civility" is the code word middle to upper class people use for when they really are saying "don't you dare get uppity now you disgusting poor people"
It's definitely good to be an adult. But online bullying is an actual issue. And while I understand that black folks will face more of it than white male (like me), women and, lately, Jews, have faced it even worse. So don't pretend that it's not an issue, either.
Agree. Christians too. I am a Christian-and not one of those radical ones. It is hurtful when I see all of us lumped in with the extremists. I wish that people would learn to distinguish extreme groups from the mainstream. Same with Muslims, etc.
I mean, sorry you have to put up with that. But I doubt it's really as bad as Jews get. See, for example: x.com/BriannaWu/st... x.com/BriannaWu/st...
…way of knowing. If you hold those that do the awful things accountable you’d be outcasted by the ones that show your faith it’s the whole crucify them story all over again.
The whole reason I fell out is because of the lack of holding the wrong do-res accountable if you want an example try looking up some time the number of returning offenders coming to the church to lead
The problem is you support something in lines with those groups. Where is the hold for accountability like other communities have to do as it’s been documented even that some people have done terrible things but because they “seek the lord they are *forgiven*” when the reality is that there is no…
So how do you set yourself apart from extremism?
You know what's the best predictor of Trump support? It's not being a man. It's not being a white man or woman. It's being an evangelical Christian (80% voted for Trump all three times they were given the chance). www.npr.org/2024/11/10/n...
I get ya.
A good and healthy way to look at it!
🎤Bottom line is in any scenario people have to take into account that has an individual with different perspectives that vary, we are not all going to see eye to eye. To me that's the beauty of being different. We should all be able to agree to disagree respectfully and move on.
The need for #MentalHealth program interventions is at an all time high. Research the work of Dr. Molly Crockett et al. on #SocialMedia + psyche.
This is good. Tell someone in DC what you think. It only takes a few minutes and best of all..it doesn’t cost any money. We don’t need money in politics. We just need people to participate. www.nationalfinancialplan.com
Exactly. High-minded complicated subject!
You need to have a long talk with Taylor Lorenz then.
I’m more likely to write a haiku about meanies 🤣
I don't even know who this guy is but now all I will think of when I see his name is how he was a little crybaby about people being mean to him online.
It's crazy how easy it is and how relieving it is to just block people and move on. I've even done this with family on social media. I recommend everyone does the same and blocks my family on social media.
Leave the whining to Elon the Expert. :-)
So the internet is fake? The minutes or hours you spend on it are faux time? Not getting it
Mean people too
Fine, fine, but if you ever did write that essay, I would still read it because you don’t suck
Bra fucking vo. Do you know how many Twitter accounts I had because fashy trolls kept mass attacking? 17. Shadowbanning and doxxing too. Yet, I live.
Why would they be mean to you?
I do it for funsies sometimes. Just to be silly.
Already liking this more than Threads.
Ok but you'll write an essay about not writing an essay about people being mean to you on the internet.
Really ??
It’s true, perspective is powerful. The internet can be tough, but how we respond shapes our growth. Focusing on what matters, like real-world challenges or personal values, keeps us grounded. Let the noise pass and invest your energy in what truly moves the needle. 🌟
Kinda depends on who is being mean to whom whether it's. real problem in the world as 'people being mean to other people on the internet' has helped us get to this shit result in America. It can have some pretty crazy results in the long run if you start from gamergate and go from there.
Thank you!
Livejournal selfie ranking communities of the early aughts prepared me for a lifetime of semi-solicited online nastiness at a young age.
So next time you see me online, just remember - I'm too busy adulting to dwell on the haters. Peace out!
you are a gentleman-your rough go matters and no one has the right to make your life harder
Thank you
💯
But they said I was STINKY!!!! :((((((((
Do we call this “subskying” here? Or is this still subtweeting?
Subskeeting?
Subskeet just sounds like it would be some unholy union of Substack and OnlyFans.
I applaud you!
Refreshing to find someone who has a grownup attitude.
PS does not apply to chodes writing for politico
People who do that are just seeking attention. Probably the whole reason they’re on SM to begin with. They’re trying to find purpose.
Well said
Still, you deserve to be treated well. After all, you are worthy of respect!
I prefer humor to deal with that. Tho I've never been a target of some bog blowback or something ... I'm also a cat atm, so this is irrelevant to me.
I left X for 1 reason.. I despise the White Whale Whackaddo Weirdo as much as the Orange fELON.
Do we have to call this a subskeet?
Right? This just in, water fucking wet!
i am amazed at the number of journalists who just don’t understand the internet and internet culture
And for that, let me say THANK YOU!
God Bless You
I SO appreciate your insights.
As a man who has written dozens of unpublished essays about the pain of small online slights, I am deeply hurt by this. If you need me, I'll be in my Essay Chamber.
Great strategy- focus on positive and just keep being your awesome self ✌️
Being mean often comes from someone's outpouring of personal pain too.
Exellent point. Thank you!
Also because you know your worth and refuse to be (publicly) petty. Pettiness is only acceptable when interacting with true friends over beverages of choice and in an atmosphere acceptable for venting.
Sometimes people are mean to me online. Mostly I ignore it, sometimes tell them to fuck off and often block them. It's life. Some are nice, some are mean.
Exactly what I’ve done previously..
Concise 🤭
LMGDAO - did someone really do that? Meanwhile, how u doing today? Happy Thursday to u!!! Hope ya day is going well.
The Drake Era
How about a haiku?
that's smart man
I wish we were neighbors and could cook dinners together.
I'll drink to that.
Gonna follow you Sir. I like your style and mind set
What about cases like Alejandra Caraballo falsely claiming that Jesse Singal doxed a trans minor and posted details of their medical records on line, when Singal did no such thing? Does Singal have a right to reply? Are BS smear campaigns not a "real problem?" substack.com/home/post/p-...
I kinda think Singal should be less concerned with winning an internet argument over doxing and more concerned with the fact that his star "whistleblower" has been tied to this disturbingly transphobic group of activists since well before she made her complaint.
I just block them. They don’t pay my rent or support me in any way. They can’t live rent free in my head or universe.
My own body hates me more than anyone else can so......
Exactly thank you
Even the other conservative ghouls see how pathetic Singal is lol.
I admire someone who is actually an adult and acts like it!
Agreed. The only time I think I've really put someone on blast was because she put a minor at risk and sold a NSFW art character to a 10 year old.
100# true. I feel the same way mate 👍🏻
Absolutely
It seems like virtually everyone in the comments but me knows who this is about. Since I don't know, who are you referring to and where is the essay?
I don't know who we are talking about either. We clearly didn't get the memo. 🤷♀️
Currently the top story on this page I believe www.politico.com/news/primary...
Thanks
It was the haircut. That's why he was canceled. It looks like he stole it from a child at a boarding school.
I dont get why he's banned though. According to his article he was playing devil's advocate or am I missing something? I probably am.
his claim isn’t that he was banned, it’s that he was “cancelled,” ie people stopped paying attention to him, I guess
So basically everything is canceling to them? Banning, blocking, muting, ignoring, talking back to in the wrong tone
Ah ok, thanks
It seems he isn’t banned?
He isn't. His account was briefly suspended because they thought he was impersonating himself. It was quickly reversed. He's just on a victimhood tour about it
Oh lol. Is there proof of that?
I mean, he basically writes as much in the column. Includes the specific text from the suspension email. Same thing happened to Jesse S*ngal on his first day.
what a silly person
Ah I’ll read again
So someone reported him or one of his posts, he was suspended, he appeared, and was reinstated. Is that it?
Seems like it
The purest definition of “canceled” is being able to bitch about it…on the site that “canceled” you. He’s a moron.
s/appeared/appealed
Recall that this is the bucktoothed shithead who wrote that “How Ron DeSantis Won the Pandemic” article, so I’m sure he got exactly what he deserves on here.
I don't even know you, but I'm sending over massive props for "bucktoothed shithead". 😀
🎯🎯 right?!? And we have the block power.
FWIW, it's one of the reasons I read you--you have interesting perspectives on important subjects. Thank you.
I totally agree.
I think you’re my favorite person on here.
does complaining about people complaining count as complaining?
It's called (life) living with other humans on a very small planet.
👍👍👍
You deserve a follow because you are doing a stellar job of adult-ing. 👋
But, what if your editor assigned it to you? Ha! But, really, these are optional distractions from life that can simply be muted by not accessing them.
you sound like the kind of person who can think of plenty of other folks who could've been Time's Person of the Year other than the one they chose😉
We are probably all not 100% 'Adult'. As a society, the definition of 'adult' is not strictly based on biology, it's a social construct, and a psychological descriptor. Adult being the part of a person that gets on and does something. Your post here, is not an example of being an adult.
It would be helpful as well, if you could write more directly, in this case, I saw your post and I don't tend to read between the lines, and assume I know that you're talking about a specific person, so it looks like you're making a general comment about people.
Same
And we’re grateful for it. Seems like there’s been some whining on here.
You read the article and learn his account was down for 3 hours. Reinstated after the first request.
Some people share too much.
Omg I know!
Problems that you can't run away from in the real world. Fortunately here we have a block button so that racists, bigots and misogynists can be eliminated from our lives with one click. Never rise to the bait.
I agree, man
I love your writing, Mr Bouie
You can tell the ones who truly received the participation trophies.
It does seem rather self-indulgent.
Right? There's a block option on purpose.
I have a block button for a reason
Class act Jamelle!
I hear you but I think people should stand up to online bullies. If we don't, then they just get more bold to hurt people who are much weaker than us. Maybe we don't need to write an essay. But we absolutely should fight back. idk.. maybe you disagree. that's just my take.
I’d read it and other ppl’s relief at not being maligned on an online site for having a different opinion. It’s helpful to know: nope it just me reading slurs.
I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but sometimes I whine because my husband has passed,I don't have any children or family so I need to vent somehow. My dogs & kitty's just aren't very good at listening. 💙🙂
Venting is always allowed. I'm so sorry for your loss🙏🙏
It’s ok. We all have days. I think he was referring to an essay about it. Something long winded, scribbled in the time allotted for the test and barely legible. 🤗
If only... Congress would pay attention to section 3 of the 14th Amendment. If ignored b4 Jan 20th, the moment djt pardons insurrectionists, he's in direct violation. Jamie Raskin, constitutional scholar spoke of this. Call congress & insist it be looked into. 202.224.3121 make the call! If only...
That is a real problem, especially for people with low self esteme. A selfish point of view you have.
If you have low self-esteem, the internet isn't a place you should be spending time on.
Tell that to a 12 to 18 year old.
My point still stands.
I get ya too
I appreciate your honesty & I agree with you.
True. It's just become a truth. And people are mean, no matter where you go.
For me, having people be mean online has a low FGI. I also know that for others, it can be very hurtful. It is not really hard to be kind when disagreeing.
Me too!
Sadly the number of people answering to this description are falling. "because i’m an adult who understands that there are real problems in the world."
With ya there!
And on this platform you can just block those trolls!! I like that
Real world thoughts! 💭
I did, but it's on google docs, and I deleted it after. I just needed to get it out. If you need to, go ahead; no one's going to blame you.
Bless your perspective!
Amen, Jamele
Wise words Sir.
I think I can be useful to engage in good faith discussion w/ “nobodies” online. However, definitely important to avoid bad faith discussion with anybody.
I'm trying to imagine how quickly that dude would crumble if he had to face what Jemele Hill goes through online every day
Whoever sees this please follow me :)
You get so much action that you’re bound to get some mean skeets. It’s really kind of a marker of success.
I wouldn't mind a haiku though.
If they do that ,do as I do..tell them,at least I brush my teeth and wash my balls.
And that’s why I and probably many others follow you!
Also, I generally enjoy your columns. Bret Stephens’s, not so much. I’d have hoped him to be a more reasonable conservative that could disavow failed Republican ideas. I don’t think Dowd should ever turn the pen over to her brother, even if it’s only once a year. I’m gonna miss Krugman, though.
You are a role model for SOOOOO many social media users. I applaud your maturity and well-developed sense of self.
Perspective 🎯
I just Block and move on
Amen. And please do post away about the attempt to revoke the polio vaccine. I mean…
Block. Move on.
I don’t know what essay you refer to, but some people really ARE more vulnerable to letting the hate get to them. If an essay on dealing w the hate helps those folks move on, hopefully so they can better engage on the “real” problems, why not?
here is the essay. Michael Kruse does not appear to be one of the more vulnerable groups of people. thank you for bringing that point up because it is important /sincere here's his writer profile
Thanks. As usual, context matters!
Timing on this is interesting for me bc i just got attacked from "friendly fire." I just muted the account. I find it frustrating bc of infighting as being one cause of the lack of unity we have as a group. Not that we have to agree on every topic, just being shitty is a stupid thing to do!
The body has a hard time telling the brain nuance, the body responds to discomfort in similar ways despite the multitude of scenarios that bring up discomfort, I bet there r ppl linking bad feelings from online w/ bad feelings from real abuse, it's a niche of ppl, but something to mull over
Aggressive & abusive online trolls drive some adults to self harm & suicide just like teenagers. Such online abuse is also a big driver in the extremely destructive nationwide fracturing of American society. I think this easily qualifies such abuse as a SERIOUS problem worth fixing.
That’s a different problem though I think the OP is referring to dorks like Eve Fartlow, Bari Weiss or Toby Young who write dull, hyperbolic essays about people mocking them for saying clown shit Fartlow calling that a “hate name” and using it an “online pogrom” is the gold standard in this
Though Toby Young’s “Friendship isn’t real because people don’t like me enough to come to my birthday party” is my pick for second place
I guess I’ve been in different forums (… that were amazingly abusive and depressing). I don’t know the names or circumstances you’re referring to.
For example, I tried to “watchdog” Facebook pages for my Congressman, Senators, and state Dept. of Health during COVID. It was brutal … the sites were frequently teeming with vicious, destructive trolls.
The people mentioned are (technically) journalists who experience basic mockery for things like supporting the wholesale slaughter of civilians, transphobia and such then they write inane, self-centered horseshit about how attacked they are
It’s a whole realm of privileged bullshitters getting paid to whine that people called them a dickhead for being a dickhead
I feel like how we behave online has bled into offline interactions. It has shaped the way we treat people. The Internet is a central piece of millions of lives around the world, yet we act like it doesn't impact us. Like it's optional or silly. That's not reality today.
do you remember when The National Enquirer was considered a 'tabloid'? now those headlines are what trump voters think is regular news🙃
Completely agree.
it's by design... "destroy you from within without ever firing a single shot"...weve been actively at war for over a decade... we just weren't aware of it...
And meanwhile with that percolating, quality mental health care is hard to find - at least where I live.
You leave my good friend alone
The thing is, people think problems are personal when they are actually systemic. “People are mean to me on the Internet.” No dummy, people are just MEAN on the Internet
I wonder sometimes if things would be different if we took the anonymity away.
Slightly less different. Early Facebook was not full of anonymous bots and trolls.
Yes it was. I was there. No one used their real name, because the network was new, and it was college students. In the really early version people were afraid it was a school project like the Stanford Experiment, and that they'd be found out eventually.
Yes, but not that early 😆, I'm talking early when it hit mainstream. 99% of my contacts and their contacts were using their real names and photos.
Same here. Not one to bitch and moan over stuff that doesn't matter, and nothing on these platforms matter
Name One
That’s what’s up
That IS a little harsh.🤷🏻♀️ Still only words. But, you know. Harsh ones.
Don’t I know….. homeless Veteran
They cannot bully me on the Internet using pedestrian technology. I do have the power to block anybody who annoys me or is hostile to me.
I'm not a public figure, but whenever that happens, I'm just like "it's not my problem, it's theirs for being an asshole" :P Works every time 😎
The internet is real. It has big real impact and has been decisive in every US election since 2008. Jan 6th was mostly organized on the Internet.
I had run in w/ a 💙 account the other day I was blindsided & bullied so I did advocate 4 myself somehow when a fuck off enters chat time 2 block Looking back over exchange I realized thoughts can get lost in translation I am no better than the people I surround myself with Social Media included 😊
Also your views are sympathetic enough that you can just say them, as opposed to trying to win sympathy by going on about how you aren't being allowed to say your views
I think I was cancelled before I ever even started posting here so I’m not worried saying, he’s probably right. Bluesky is for the most part great and there’s interesting people on here. But … part of bluesky is a little too cool for school sitting alone in the canteen saying no that seat’s taken 🤷♀️
you just did
Sorry that people haven't figured it out. Brother.
True and there are people in this world with serious problems and at the end of the day their problem isn't with you it's with themselves.
