Stop The Hate

I've seen a lot of hate recently. And, sadly, I think it's becoming such a common part of our culture that we hardly react to it anymore.

With the increase in use of the internet, texting, social media, etc so went the increase in people's "bravery" to say whatever they wanted to say to others, while hiding behind a screen or device. Including mean, heinous and downright awful things to/about other people.

It needs to stop.

I don't want to raise my children in a society of people who hide behind screens and keyboards, saying things with the sole intention of hurting someone else. I don't want to become acclimated to this being the norm. It's NOT normal. And it's not right.

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There are always people on the other side of the screen. Other people who take those comments to heart. Other people who have to internalize that hatred and somehow deal with it, whether they know who the person on the other side of the comments are or not.

Recently, a local radio host who is pretty popular in our area announced his divorce, along with a pretty detailed account of some things that his ex wife did. Listeners only heard his side of the story, and then within an hour of the broadcast, his ex-wife had so many hate messages on her Instagram account you couldn't keep up with it. Numerous messages calling her a whore, and unworthy of her kids, etc.

If what the radio host said is true, I don't agree with the ex-wife's actions, but I dont know her side, and why would it ever be my place to call someone else a whore or an unfit mother (when in actuality nothing about the story had to do with either of those topics)? Or even comment in the first place? My first reaction was how sad it was that they were getting a divorce, not "what mean comment can I write to her to really make her feel bad?" As if she isn't dealing with enough.

Why is it people's first reaction to call names? And almost always it's 'whore'. Kaitlyn Bristowe (the most recent Bachelorette) faced numerous comments, and even death threats from people about her sleeping with Nick. Yes, she is a public figure, but she's also a human being. And realistically if Kaitlyn is a whore for sleeping with someone that she is dating, then so are the majority of people in our society (not everyone, but seriously..)

Whether you agree with someone's actions or not is one thing. But I will NEVER get behind tearing someone down. 

There are people out there who will write whatever they want about you--comment about a gift your husband got you, or the way you're doing things in your wedding, a way you dealt with a situation, the type of house you buy or the way it looks, heck even a blog post you write.... People who just want to incite a reaction out of you. For what purpose? And, more importantly, WHO CARES?? If it doesn't directly affect you, then why is it worth your commentary?

The answer is: It's not!

These people who hide behind screens, spewing hate, show just how ugly and unhappy they are on the inside. And how little they have going on with their lives that they have the time to tear others down instead of doing something productive and positive with their time.
You know the saying, "Misery Loves Company"....I think it's true. If you're truly happy with your life, your time and energy are not spent writing mean things about someone else. It's spent enjoying your life and the people around you. 

If you have to tear someone else down in order to feel better about yourself, you have some things you could easily spend your time doing rather than talking smack online, likely to someone who can't, or won't, ever respond to your meanness and negativity.

We need to build one another up instead of tearing each other down.

Take the advice from your parents growing up: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!

Ok, I'm getting down off of my soap box now. I just hope that we can all commit to being positive people and helping to support one another instead of being the first to throw stones and try to hurt. I promise, in the end, it will not make you feel better and especially will not make you a better person. We are all capable of more than that. 

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Stop. The. Hate.