Should we turn off the internet? Is it time yet?
I spend a lot of time on politics forums, and they have changed radically over the years.
I have been visiting forums for a long time now, I would say probably 12 or 15 years, so am quite used to the way things work, but lately? things are getting so much more polarised.
Just a quick note on forum or fora 😉
Of course, the anonymity of being online has something to do with it, a bit like road rage, you are behind a screen and no one can see you but it’s more.
I belong to a few community politics groups. So I tend to know the names, characters of many of the writers. They all have their quirks and foibles as in real life. But there are some really strange behaviours. People who get so furious when someone disagrees with their opinion, I swear if they had a button that they were told would explode the person disagreeing, it would get pressed regularly. And the spite and nastiness. The huge offence that some take for various reasons. I swear if that was what their life was like in real life they would be sectioned.
I keep coming back to the question why? and all I can come up with is that the country (UK) is more polarised now than it has been for many many years. From all available information, it certainly seems like America is as well.
I’m sure the right wing think the left wing just moan for the sake of it, and yes I would say I tend to veer towards the left wing, although I’m not sure that has much bearing on it.
Recently I have been watching two particular forums. Each has a bias, one is populated a lot more by left thinkers the other by right thinkers. Not necessarily Conservative and Labour, possibly more like UKIP and Momentum ;-). Each is unbalanced, but the UKIP one I dont believe has any left thinkers, whereas the Left one does have a mix of right and left just more left.
Each has their own identity. I have to say the right forum actually frightens me, the views that are shown are to my thinking extreme, the type of views where anyone they dont approve of should either die or “fuck off”. According to this forum all foreigners, all gays, all trans people, all feminists, all blacks (except ‘my mate’ who is ok) all muslims and probably everyone outside this area are vile and should die and are the reason we are all going to be living in hell on earth soon.
No one ever really challenges them because their views are very strong.
The other forum the Left one, is a lot more liberal, other views are challenged, other views are given and accepted. An awful lot of offence is taken 😉 However, even the mildest person on this forum can get really heated and angry and you can see steam coming out the screen. And this is what worries me.
When I was growing up, I remember being told not to discuss religion or politics in company. And gosh does it breed passion.
But it’s not the passion that worries me it’s the pure unadulterated hate that often comes through, with not a thought.
So what has led to this? I’m sure this should be a lot longer and bring in a lot more ideas, but I see it as quite simple and see a similarity from world war 2.
Recently someone was ranting about how much money foreigners take by using our health system and then all the scroungers on benefits. But the fact is it is easily disproven. (See at the bottom of this article)
So, if things don’t change, something nasty could very well happen. In the same way continuous anger can lead to heart problems, cancer or a stroke, I feel the same will happen to a country.
Should we just turn off the internet?
Facts for above:
Health tourism: 1.8 billion
Refugees cost: 2 billion
The DUP cost 1 billion plus
Foreign Aid (another favourite of angry people) – 13 billion
And tax avoidance in the UK cost … 34 billion.
(Links at the end).
Demonise – powers that be …..
End notes:
https://fullfact.org/health/health-tourism-whats-cost/
£1.8 Bn
£2 bn
12 Dup £1bn + 🙂
https://fullfact.org/economy/tax-avoidance-evasion-uk/
£34 bn
Foreign aid
12bn
https://fullfact.org/economy/uk-spending-foreign-aid/
Charley Speakes 