To all my
followers: past, present, and future-
It saddens and
disheartens me to see people arguing, harassing, and bullying others on a
social feed that is used primarily for, what is supposed to be, a friendly
gaming community.
I am referring to Facebook and the #Twizards / #Twirates
of Twitter.
Neither Facebook
nor Twitter has limits to the number of accounts you can have as long as you
have valid email addresses. This means you have an option to create a
"gaming" account and a real life account if you so choose.
I'm letting those
of you, who may not be aware of this, know for many reasons:
1. KingsIsle's
P101 & W101 are kid/family friendly games. As are there official fan sites,
blogs, and forums. Let me reiterate that-KID/FAMILY
FRIENDLY. You only have to be 13 to sign up for a Facebook/Twitter account
but 13 is still a kid!
2. So you say you
are an adult-then be a responsible one! If you want to post or tweet about
topics or events that are of a mature nature, do it on your real life accounts.
This also includes shares and retweets.
3. Just as certain
topics are considered taboo in a standard physical social gathering, so too are
they on Internet social media. Unless you know for a fact that those who are
listening to you are in agreement with
you, then you can almost always expect the "discussion" to turn into
a debate before escalating into a full blown argument. General topics to avoid
include, but are not limited to; politics, religion, sex (of any nature), race,
money, and cultural/regional differences.
This doesn't mean
that you should not be proud of who you are, what you stand for, your beliefs,
background or heritage. It means that just as you don't want to be ostracized
for what you represent, others don't want your views thrust upon them or thrown
into their faces.
I could say that I am purple,
descended from tigers raised in Antarctica, and that my ultimate faith revolves
around lightning bugs as the supreme deity. You can argue with me until you
turn purple but that doesn't make you right because they are my own beliefs. They
affect no one but me unless you believe the same. Even then it's still debatable.
4.Regardless of
your beliefs or anything else in #3 NO ONE deserves to be bullied for their
choices, lifestyles, or the way they were raised. People tend to learn more
from those who are understanding and patient. Each and every one of us is a
minority in some form or fashion. Whether it is our gender, race, color of our
hair/eyes, age, or even because I chose to wear a green tank top while everyone
else wore a blue button down.
5. If someone is
constantly posting inappropriate content, bullies you, insists on trying to
draw you into online arguments, then rejoice! For there is a tool that protects
you. It is called block/unfollow/ignore/report. There is also another feature
for both Twitter and Facebook where you can protect your account(s) by locking
it to only approved persons/posts. I highly recommend this for anyone.
I realize I am apt
to lose followers because of something I've said in this post. Honestly, it
doesn't faze me in the slightest. I know my worth as a person is far more than
the number of people who follow me. Just like your own worth is not determined by those who follow you. I also know that more can be said, and mean
so much, in one single post or tweet than 5,000 superfluous ones could ever
convey.
People are defined by their actions and their reactions. We determine what kind of people we are by the way we shape our character, what we say to others, and how we handle particular situations. No one can define us but ourselves.
People are defined by their actions and their reactions. We determine what kind of people we are by the way we shape our character, what we say to others, and how we handle particular situations. No one can define us but ourselves.
I am who I am and
in this order:
- Woman cause I can't change what was already determined for me.
- Texan by birth and because I've lived here almost all my life.
- American because that is my home country (and Texas is in it).
So people can hate
me or make fun of me but there are some things that can't be helped or that I
can't change. If they do hate or make fun of me for it then it does hurt
because it IS part of who I am but I also know that is on them and about their
own insecurities of themselves.
I don't judge
ANYONE by their skin color, religion, sexual orientation, education, or social status. I base my judgments
on the action of an individual not the whole group.
Someone (I won't
say who) recently replied to me, "You don't talk a lot, but when you do
speak it's because you actually have something to SAY".
From another (who
shall remain anonymous), "Many people talk too much and yet say NOTHING.
From you one can at least learn a lot".
Someone else (nope
not telling who), "Sorceress, when I think of you it's usually because of
your well thought out opinions, either in their own posts or as replies".
Let me tell you
right now, I take those comments to heart. I speak what I know. I also speak my
mind when need be. I try to be diplomatic without being condescending or
patronizing. I will always strive to explain my personal opinions while at the
same time trying not to belittle or judge others'. You can bet that I won't stand idly by while someone is being harassed or picked on. I stand up for what I believe in and I believe in a lot of things.
So to conclude
this letter, I wish to give a heartfelt thank you and a virtual hug to those
who continue to listen to me rambling on <3
To anyone who does
choose to no longer be my Facebook friend or follow my Twitter feed, that is
fine, too. The operative word in that previous sentence is choose and as always the choice is always your own. I wish you well
no matter what and in every endeavor you partake.
For anyone who may
be new to friending/following me, know this; just like I said above, the choice
will always be up to you. I will not bribe or coerce anyone into following me.
It's a simple either you do or you don't. I also reserve that same right to
choose who I wish to friend/follow along with the choice to revoke that
decision at any time. Same as you.
I am under no
commitment or obligation to Facebook or Twitter and neither are you.
For those who plan
to stick around...
Stay safe and stay
YOU!
Until we meet in
the Skyways...
SorceressMiklai
Sorceress,
ReplyDeleteI applaud this post with much heart, as I've been too scared to present the points myself. As a recovering victim of cyber-bullying and current victim of poor IRL judgement, I know first-hand as to why all this needed to be said.
I agree that cyber-harassment is an ongoing problem in our community that can be lightened through combined efforts, yet I know for certain that it won't ever leave. If a threat goes "down", a new squabble surfaces. As if life itself - there is never an international (or even local) day of calm. It's simply through the awareness of all that we can possibly hope to shorten the fall and send helping hands out faster.
Thank you for all you do. Thank you for writing this post. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Des
P.S. Would you mind if I highlighted this post with my own response in the near future?
Thank you for your kind words.
DeleteAbsolutely use whatever you need to increase awareness, give another viewpoint, or however it may help. By all means.
Thank you for your continued reading and support :)
~SM~
I definitely liked your post, and I always look forward to hearing from you. I think that there are always exceptions to the rules, however. Here are a few of my thoughts.
ReplyDelete1. I find that a good discussion and debate is oftentimes healthy. Though certain people can take something educational to all and turn it into an out-of-control argument, we cannot cut civilized discussions for the sake of that one person.
2. I believe that there's definitely a time for discussions on Twitter... even if they do become heated. I might have never said that until not long ago, when I came to the realization that not only is everyone else treated to a learning experience, but some topics, no matter how sensitive, are something the entirely community deserves to know. For example, if there is a person who is plagiarizing material from various places and refuses to deal with the issue in private, an example, perhaps, should be made of it. I believe this is very similar to publicly announcing an impersonation page on Facebook. Not only should people be aware, but their input can actually help, even if impersonation is not everyone's favorite topic.
3. I oftentimes find myself incredibly irritated with others posting thoughts on politics, religion, etc. I am thankful that my level of self-control keeps me from tweeting them back. I won't hide that much. (It's funny how certain groups claim to be hated and discriminated against, and then they do the same thing to people who don't necessarily support their view. But that's beside the point... :P) So I definitely agree that certain topics don't belong on these Twitter accounts. Though it would be fun to put some of these minds together in some sort of chat and see what they all had to say on some of the popular topics nowadays.
4. I think that people sometimes share input because they believe it to be beneficial to the person they're speaking with, especially when it comes to religion, in which one end considers it a life-and-death discussion. I don't think that should exist publicly on Twitter, though I'm not opposed to private discussions. I definitely agree that people should not be harassed for their opinion... or counter-opinion. I just don't want anyone to confuse initiating a discussion or debate with an opposing viewpoint with harassment or bullying.
5. I think we emphasize block quite a lot! :P I agree that it's a useful tool, but I hope people use a healthy discretion with the tool. If we all block everybody else, that doesn't solve anything. If there's a problem, try to handle it in a diplomatic way. If that doesn't work, then block becomes your new best friend!
Thanks for the post! :)
1. A good discussion can oftentimes clear the air and a debate can bring up many valid points that one is trying to get across or emphasize. What isn't okay is trying to force your own opinions or beliefs upon someone else. What also isn't okay is going into these discussions/debates with a closed mind and the intent to just prove yourself right or forcing the issue without even trying to see the other person's point of view.
Delete2. There is a difference between awareness and shock value. What I posted in my #2 above was about people posting adult-themed topics/pictures that have no place on a feed that a child or even adults see. That's why I was saying that we should all be responsible about what we allow others to view.
3. Again this is something that most people will stand firm on and nothing that anyone says is going to sway their own views or beliefs. Which means that to even bring these specific topics to light in a general setting will practically guarantee nothing but an argument. It will completely bypass the discussion & debate steps because people will practically see their way as the only way or the right one. That's why there are specific forums made to discuss your view points to your hearts content. Most of the time the people on those really love to argue their points and that's fine cause it's the place to do it. It's just pointless to do so on Twitter/Facebook because there isn't going to be an resolutions or closure that all parties will agree with other than to just drop it for now in hopes that one of the persons will see the light. But you and I both know that doesn't happen and the next time it's brought up, they just pick up where they left off.
4. Each person is unique, including twins (which we all learned in biology). There are families who all may belong to different denominations or even none where religion is concerned. There are families who are made up of Democrat, Republican, Communist, or none of the above. What I'm trying to get across is that if there is such a diversity in a single family unit how can we not expect there to be across billions of people. We should all be celebrating our own differences and uniqueness instead of trying to conform others to be the "same".
I enjoy listening to what others' say because I, for one, don't know everything or think that I hold all the answers. There is much to be learned from every person you meet. Whether you like them or agree with them or not.
And like I also said NO ONE ever deserves to be bullied, beaten, harassed, belittled, or insulted for being who they are. I will always stand by that.
5.I would like to think that unfollow/block/report/ignore were more used as a last resort. I agree that problems should be worked out. But then again (refer to what I replied in #3) there are many people who just WON'T QUIT. If this was a physical setting they would be the one who is following you, still shouting, with their fingers pointing as you are trying to walk away. Practically the only thing you can do is to close the door on them and crank up the music to drown them out. On the Internet that block button is the equivalent of the door.
Thank you for your comments cause I also appreciate your thoughts and views. I do realize these that you mentioned were exceptions but of course, I couldn't just comment without "debating" with you :)
~SM~