Vituperative Comments

Over the years I have lost track of the ad hominem arguments that crop up on the social media. They are common, sadly so.

Just recently I deleted a post from my social media page because of a foul commentary describing my person. The post was not deleted because I disagreed with what they said and neither did I agree to delete it to satisfy their ego.

No. The post was deleted solely because of the disturbing language that was used.

Was I upset at the personal insults that were flung at me? No. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, it is taken for granted that not everyone will either like you or agree with you.

There are a number of people with whom I disagree or whom I regard as being unpleasant in character but that does not give me the right to print derogatory abuse at them.

If you feel the need to argue your case then do so with facts. An opinion can be valid, no doubt, but you must have the ability to reason out your opinion. Tell people why you have it; use logic; use common sense. But, above all, do not abuse the other party.

Specifically, do not abuse the other party using obscene language.

Many of us have social media pages that are open to public view. That public can include people who dislike the use of foul language and may well include children who should not be subjected to ‘Adult’ language; small children are just that – small children and not ‘small adults’.

Another thing that upsets me on this social media is that there are people who ask to be befriended for nefarious reasons.

I am, as you will know, a trusting soul who is gentle, warm hearted and sensitive to the needs of others. Consequently, when someone asks to be my friend I will usually accept them providing they appear to be using their real name.

The need to use a ‘nom de plume’ on social media is nonsense unless you are specifically hiding something. If you are friends then people will know who you are anyway – so why hide behind a false name?

However, that is not my complaint, really. 

The thing is that it is becoming increasingly common for people to ask to be your friend and then tell you that they work for Zuckerberg, or something. This latest one tells me that she was a banker in America but now works for the Ghana National Bank in Accra.

Of course, there is a sum of money involved that belongs to a deceased person – this time someone with the same surname as me. Could I help locate the rightful heir to this fortune or, perhaps – and even better, maybe I could receive this magnanimous payment myself!

How tempting this is. Not unnaturally a rather large amount is required from me to release these funds…

Do these people really think that you will believe this nonsense? Are they really so blind as to imagine that you take their word as absolute truth? Any and all of their words ring hollow in any sequence you care to arrange them.

In the words of the wonderful Maxim Bady, “These people are so stupid that, if we are lucky, they will forget to breathe and die’!

We should be so lucky!

Sadly, although the social media has a button that you can click to ‘unfriend’ people it rarely works. After ‘unfriending’ someone I check the next day et voila! They are friends once more!

I should add that I have very few friends. Those that I know on ‘Facebook’ are generally acquaintances rather than friends.

There are a few of people in America that I should dearly love to sit and chat with over a tea – or coffee, because they are interesting and intelligent people. They are people that have a sense of humour.

But actual friends are limited. These are people that you will stop a bullet to protect.

These are the people that I will chat with online. Please do not try to ‘PM’ me with a view to conversation if you are not in that category because it will not be reciprocated. 

Responding to my request for peace and quiet with foul and vituperative comments will lead to an immediate ‘unfriend’ click!

As Maxim Bady would now say, “Yalla.”