in Politics 399 Words

I took one for the team

Exercising my freedom of speech by leaving a comment on someone else’s post on Facebook several weeks ago brought down the wrath of the MAGA folks on my head.

The post I commented on stated that France and the UK were going to give more aid to Ukraine. I merely commented that I was glad they were and that’s what the United States ought to be doing. That’s all I said. I didn’t say anything about boots on the ground because that wasn’t what I had in mind.

Most of the 600+ people who reacted to my comment left a “Like” or a “Heart” emoji. A good many responded that they agreed with me; however, you have to be on the lookout for those MAGA trolls.

The MAGA responses to me ranged from, “That war is none of our business” to “That war is Europe’s problem,” to “Here’s a history lesson for you: The US didn’t jump into World War II until Pearl Harbor was bombed” to “You should send your children there to fight” to “You should send your grandchildren there to fight” to “You should buy a plane ticket and go there to fight” to “You’re ignorant. You need to shut your mouth!” One man was so angry, he responded twice. His second response was my history lesson about Pearl Harbor. I must have gotten on his last nerve.

Photo of a man's hands holding a cell phone
Photo Credit: Marten Bjork on unsplash

Just out of curiosity, I clicked on some of the choleric responders’ names. What I discovered was that not a single one of them has ever posted anything on Facebook. They just troll people like me and leave hateful comments. I decided to mention it today in my blog post because it serves as a reminder to all of us just how vicious and determined Trump’s cult members are.

I guess these MAGA macho men get their kicks by essentially anonymously (since all the information on their Facebook pages are a name (probably bogus) and “gender: male”) by making crude remarks to a 72-year-old woman they don’t know. They are pathetic.

If they were trying to frighten me or silence me… it obviously didn’t work.

Until my next blog post

Read for pleasure.

Do what you can to fight authoritarianism.

Remember the people of Ukraine, Myanmar, and western North Carolina.

Janet

33 thoughts on “I took one for the team”

  1. I have noticed that about most trolls they troll anything and mostly don’t live in that country I have found particularly when they are being nasty about our Royal family x

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  2. Interesting post, Janet. Sorry to read about you being trolled. Roosevelt was wilier politician than the Orange One. He knew many in the US opposed the US entrance into what they thought of as Europe’s War. He did clever things like Lend-Lease to provide US assistance, without actually getting boots on the ground. The conspiracy theorists of the day have hypothesized that he knew about the planned attack on Pearl Harbor so that we would be dragged into the war. This one lies so easily and so often, that even when journalists confront him with taped evidence of a lie, he dismisses it. Keep on speaking your truth

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  6. You’re welcome, Liz. Whenever he is gone, we are still surrounded by the cult members. Besides the fact that they claim to be Christians, the most depressing thing is that they aren’t going anywhere.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I’m sure you’re right about most trolls, Carol. All the social media platforms have emboldened people who would never have the courage to say something to another person’s face to spout vitriol anonymously online. I found it very telling when I clicked on each of their names that not a single one of them had ever posted anything.

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  8. Thank you, Pat. Roosevelt certainly was wilier than the Orange One. And just look what Roosevelt accomplished in his first 100 days as opposed to the destruction the Orange One has wrought in his first 100 days. There couldn’t be a greater contrast. I plan to keep on keeping on.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I’ve noticed that even here on Facebook, more and more of those kinds of reactions are popping up. The shift to the far right is no longer something distant — it’s spreading everywhere. The hate speech, the aggressive comments, the people who shamelessly hurl the ugliest words from behind their screens… Sometimes I shudder at what I read. So harsh, so cruel, so devoid of conscience. And then I think: who are they, really? Who’s hiding behind those words? Who is sitting there, on the other side of that screen? Some lonely, frustrated stranger? Someone far away? Or… someone I know? Someone I greet on the street? My kind neighbor with the friendly smile? Someone I thought was gentle, reasonable, decent? That thought — that it might be someone close — frightens me even more than the words themselves.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Social media is awash with people who seem to spend their entire lives just finding reasons to be rude to strangers. And they so rarely have a grasp on history and certainly not on nuance! I often wonder what they did before the Internet. Did they just bottle up all that hate and anger and let it eat them up from the inside? I wish they’d go back to that…

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  12. I agree. I’m afraid technology has let the genie out of the bottle and there is no way for these angry little people to go back where they were before the advent of social media. Now everyone is an expert on all subjects. The less educated they are, the more they seem compelled to spout out their opinions.

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  13. That is the rude awakening I have experienced, Matroos. A few of the people who have come out to attack my political stance on Facebook are people I have known since we were in the first grade together. I thought I knew them well for the next 12 years. I thought they were good people. I am saddened now to learn that they feel no empathy for people less fortunate than they. I don’t understand where our worldviews diverged from mine… or did they always harbor those narrow-minded views? And who sits near me in church on Sunday morning that voted for Trump and secretly thinks he is doing a great job? Who smiles at me on Sunday morning but goes home to get all their information from the Fox News network? Which of my relatives and acquaintances think it’s just fine for people to be shipped off to a prison in El Salvador to be tortured and die? It is a level of inhumanity I cannot understand. For this right-wing hatred for other people to be sweeping across the world is indeed a frightening thing I never thought we would witness.

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  14. hi Janet

    more likely they were foreign agents working for a foreign government.

    it’s pretty common unfortunately.

    don’t react to their posts. Flag them to FB as fake accounts. It’s what they are.

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  15. I like the one about WWII and Pearl Harbor. That person probably doesn’t know that the U.S. was helping the Allies well before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sadly, there are a lot of trolls out there, and some are probably fake accounts from Russia and other places trying to sow discord in the U.S., as always.

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  19. You are right Janet, they are trolls and out there to try to intimidate and silence good people who are telling others the truth. There is nothing good about this administration. Thank you so much for your efforts to spread truth and to disarm the bullies and fools (or should I say heartless and evil folk) that follow that man’s doctrines of hate.

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  21. Absolutely Janet they are just purely trolling for the attention social media should have the balls to close them all down and keep doing it enmasse thats the only way to stop it…

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  28. It is a daunting situation, and it continues to be difficult to keep up with all the damage he is doing. He has too many people who are working around the clock to find new ways to hurt people. They are evil and heartless for sure! Perhaps he will take a break this weekend. One can hope! Enjoy your spring weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. You too Janet. I am totally disconnecting this weekend. I will work my art and poetry, take walks and enjoy some fine Valencian wine. May God bless Janet and bring us peace.

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  30. I hope you are having a marvelous and productive weekend with your art and poetry! Sounds wonderful! Perhaps I will complete this round of proofreading my devotional booklet this weekend. I had put it aside for a couple of months and was amazed at how many errors I found this week when it was completely cold in my mind. I must get myself back on track with my writing and get this booklet published so I can concentrate on my novel. Life goes on, and I really need to get back to the joy of writing historical fiction! All the best from North Carolina.

    Liked by 1 person

  31. I am very glad to hear that. That is a wonderful plan Janet. Writing, proof-reading and getting back into a creative mode will uplift your spirit. Have a phenomenal Sunday and May God bless.

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