If you put yourself out there, in the public eye and/or online, you will get rude and nasty comments, you will get trolls, you will get bullied. It’s a fact.
But why does it have to be a fact?
And what can we do about it?
Down the Forest Path
A Journey Through Nature, its Magic and Mystery
Down the Forest Path 
Hopefully you have not been subjected to this? Please, stay grounded, remain faithful, and choose your actions and words with wisdom.
Hi Rae, yes, I have, though the number is small compared to the number of lovely emails and comments that I receive from truly wonderful people. But it does happen, and I think we as a society really need to look at this and not just “allow” it to happen. It shouldn’t be a matter of course for anyone who is online. The question is, how do we go about achieving a respectful environment where information, stories, art and more can be shared? In a society that seems to be crumbling on all fronts, how do we achieve this? It’s a HUGE question, one that I’m sure has many answers, including the fact that we have to look within ourselves and acknowledge our own demons first and foremost 🙂 What do you think?
If you see something, say something. Letting people get away with nasty bullying in a public forum implys consent. If they do it in a private comment, it’s okay to say “Not Okay” and then, if it continues, just like in life, you can remove yourself from their reach.
I can see that, as a public figure, this could be an exhausting full time occupation, but it’s a start.
Yep – ignoring the bullying does not help, it does not make it go away. Just like in real life. I remember as a teenager, trying to ignore the bullies in real time, and if anything, that made it worse – they want a reaction, just like online bullies, and will do anything to achieve that. You can put yourself out of their reach sometimes, but not all the time. Perhaps we need a society that allows people to feel good about themselves, without demeaning others in the process. Too much capitalism involved in everything we do as a society? Is it a dog eat dog world out there? How can we change that behaviour, how can we instill more respect? You can have an opinion on matters, but if it involves hurting someone unnecessarily, why would people do it? We have to fix this broken society… 😦