The internet was a prickly place this past week. I didn’t enjoy my time interacting with others. I was criticized by armchair experts. Their attempts to put me in my place was exhausting. I usually don’t come across people that feel like I have to work on diffusing a bomb. Considering the current climate we are all living through, maybe life feels like a minefield to you too.
The easiest conflict was the one where I chose to sit the battle out. I was noting the number of cases in my neighborhood along with the number of cases reported in neighboring areas. Studio City presently has 24 reported positive cases whereas the areas not too far away had 10x more cases. My friend then stated that his neighborhood reported true numbers and suggested that my neighborhood hides its true number of cases. I left his comment alone. I then came across an article where a doctor admitted to financial incentives to hospitals reporting positive cases and shared the article. He immediately negated it and said it was an xyz wing perspective. If it was an abc wing perspective, it would be different.
I guess that means that it’s not worth exploring the topic. Cool. I’m learning so much!!!
A particular woman chose to get very mean toward me when I chose to respond to a family member who was upset over something she heard was going on in Africa. I found a link in regards to the situation and shared it. The woman, a stranger to me, right away told me to stop spreading fake news and fear mongering. I told her the news was not fake and though it was in French, I understood it to support what my sis in law heard.
I was hoping a vigorous conversation about questionable actions by doctors and governments on children without parental consent would follow. Nope. She then told me that unless I had a personal contact in Africa to confirm the story, I should only concern myself with issues within my country. I thought being upset of anything terrible happening to another country is to also admit that it would be wrong to allow in our country. It would’ve been nice to had a chance to discuss the subject.
She then schooled me on our government’s unsavory history of experiments on our population. I know of several but she wanted to make sure I knew of the specific experiments that she referred to. She told me to do my research. So I followed up on the experiment that she was an expert of and found that it continued to Guatemala. I gave her links to show her that American experiments seem to find their way abroad but that a formal apology was given by the Clinton administration. I told her that I hoped that not only an apology was given but that hopefully a lawsuit or at least several people were reprimanded and the organization was dissolved. But I will leave it to her being the expert that has probably followed up on the details. Who am I to add to a conversation if I was not an expert and wanted to discuss things to learn? And perhaps I had no business pursuing such conversations since I was just a music teacher.
I wish I made screenshots of her frenetic criticism. I think my sis in law found her mean spirited friend embarrassing that she took down the post. I can’t find it.
It’s getting tricky figuring where is the clearance for discourse. Bumping up against antagonistic armchair experts is exhausting and spilled some residual misery on me. I’m still recovering.
I want to search for truth, ask questions, have a conversation. We can’t possibly experience evolution if we shoot one another down and not question everything together.
Last week, frustrated my hopes for humanity. I hope this week will be better.
JNET