Today, I had my first really negative comment on an article I wrote here on Hive. I imagine it won't be the last, but what possesses some people? I realize that all sorts of trolls, lunatics, and psychopaths come out of the woodwork on a basically uncensored platform, but I still find myself wondering what the actual fuck is wrong with some people?
I don't mind when people disagree with me, but this was just mean and stupid:
My article was about friendship. I mentioned being fat because I am not ashamed of it and it is part of my reality. Some asshole wrote: "Sure everybody thinks fat people are stupid. If not why would they be fat?" How puerile and inflammatory, and for what? What joy does such a person get from writing a comment like that? How empty and meaningless that person's life must be if all they can do is write articles about how super human they think they are and negative comments on other people's articles?
I will never write anything on the internet that I wouldn't have the guts to say in person. In a world full of so much hatred, I try to be nice. I try not to retaliate when people say mean things. However, every once in a while, someone like this comes along who needs to be called out for his astonishing stupidity, bad behaviour, and lack of manners.
I have muted the person and I gave them my first non-accidental downvote. Previously, I only downvoted once and it was a result of bad clicking. I could only see that my downvote mana had gone down, but I couldn't find my accidental downvote to undo it, and I was even more of a newbie at the time.
Here is a good rule of thumb: if you don't have anything nice to say about someone's article, just shut up. To be honest I enjoy a healthy exchange of ideas, but, "If you are fat, you must be stupid," is just idiotic. It also proves a point I have often made that prejudice against fat people is one of the last acceptable prejudices.
I feel angry when anyone suggests their prejudice has to do with health. That is nonsense. A stranger does not give a flying fuck about my health. It is a convenient alibi for ugly beliefs.
Am I saying being fat is healthy? No. I am saying that healthy and unhealthy people come in all shapes and sizes. The only time you really hear people worrying for other people's health is when they want to be discriminatory and can't think of another angle.
Bottom line: I won't allow someone's nasty and very, very stupid comments to censor me. It is tempting to not want to write with honesty, but there are enough lies in the world as it is.
If you don't like my ideas and have an intelligent argument, that is absolutely welcome in my comments section. If you don't like fat people and/or you think we are all "stupid," I respectfully suggest that you please fuck off immediately. There is no room in my life or comments section for you.
(P.S. You will note that I don't usually use profanity in my posts. The English language is rich, and there are so many interesting ways to express ourselves without it. Every now and again, though, profanity seems the very best way to express my feelings. This was one of those times.)
(P.P.S. If you hate fat people, please fuck off. Truly. I cannot think of a better way to express this because that says it all succinctly.)