Okay, time for some home truths…..from my home.
Yes, you poor excuses for human beings – you know who you are – I reside at the address which some dopey ideological wanna-be posted on their own you tube channel, after illegally copying my “Burning The Flag” video onto their own white supremacist website, in some strangely eclectic attempt at shaming me over something I was only too eager to upload in the first instance. I mean to say, it is linked to this post, and this weblog is freely available to all comers. Why not simply write their own weblog post, linking to mine and making their self-righteous stand on their own website? Why shame themselves by exposing their own Ku Klux Klan affiliations? Who knows, and frankly, who cares. It’s the sort of primary school yard, let’s-form-a-gang mentality I’ve become inured to from the extreme right wing froot-loops on Twitter.
Yes, dear reader, this is what standing up for your beliefs in the Australian social media environment amounts to. Sure, there’s freedom of expression, as long as those expressions conform precisely with those of the extreme right at any given moment in time. Individual expression – as opposed to that which mirrors an anti-conservative perspective – is also pursued, hounded, abused & castigated simply because a narrow-minded collective doesn’t want, can’t cope with counter opinions.
This collective has always been there, well, in the blogosphere anyway. The advent of Twitter has only served to encourage the genuinely deluded and self-righteous fruit bat to chance their arm on the field of genuine debate through the highly restrictive 140 character environment Twitter provides. The failing of that environment being that genuine debate cannot possibly take place within the confines of 140 characters. So attempts at challenge of another’s perspective rapidly devolve into logical fallacy. These people hate, simply for the sake of hating that which they cannot bend to their own will. It is the essence of the social conservative.
Now for the serious part. When these people feel so disenfranchised as to rope in another’s family to their ideological battles, a line is crossed. Not that I ever had any intention of flinching before their disorganised, impotent onslaught. I don’t lie down, I don’t bend and I certainly don’t fade away. I fight for what I believe in and I believe that I am entitled to my opinions and beliefs. My opinions and beliefs belong to me and are sacrosanct. If other’s don’t like that, then their problem is their problem. It’s not mine. To deliberately cast obscene aspersions on my family, make abusive phone calls and generally harass my wife, children and stepchildren, then as far as I’m concerned, the gloves are off.
Yes, I have posted my full name, address and mobile phone number into twitter, as a sign that I don’t care about who thinks what. I overtly challenge all comers. 140 characters is NOT a battleground for ideological debate, it’s a playground where the inept are set up to be picked off by people like me who simply cannot see the point in mindless ideology, bile, hatred and disappointment being aired as badges of courage. These people have no courage. They hide behind keyboards and anonymity. I challenge anyone, anyone at all, to have the gonads to debate with me their opinions and ideals in a rational, civil and logical manner, in an environment purpose designed for doing so. No logical fallacy, just considered rationality. I know it’s near impossible to find on the internet because 98% of internet inhabitants are too damn frightened to inter-relate in such a manner. They’d much rather create their own fantasies about their perceived opponents, then name-call in the belief that they’re actually winning something. I don’t work that way, never have and never will. And now, a brief word from my wife, Melanie, who some of you have seen fit to abuse this week. I thought it only fair to give her the right of reply:
Over the years I’ve become used to Neil "debating" with all and sundry about anything and everything. And I’ve become used to it deteriorating into an all in slanging match too. None of this has anything to do with me. I’m actually one of those rare people who is proud of being "nice". I’m proud of being a pacifist and a greenie. I don’t abuse people. I go out of my way to be nice. I was the goodie goodie at school, and I still am. So why drag me into the name calling, and the abuse? Any landline phone number any of you might happen across that purports to be Neil’s isn’t. It’s mine. Please don’t call me. I don’t really care what you have to say. If you’re the sort of person who would have a slanging match on twitter, or YouTube, and then phone someone’s family, you’re not the sort of person I wish to speak to. My politics and Neil’s politics are quite different, but more to the point, mine would be even more different to yours than Neil’s are. I’m not here challenging everyone to a verbal duel though. And I’m about as left as left can be.
Live and let live. I don’t care if you don’t agree with me, I’m certainly not going to fight with you about it. Some of the comments I’ve read on Twitter and YouTube over the last few days have been really horrible. None of you know me. What gives you the right to start calling me names? You’re a bunch of foul mouthed idiots. All of you. I’m sure that in your life away from Twitter you probably live normal lives, like normal everyday people. Why not assume other people do too?I think now I’ll take a leaf out of my daughters book, and tell you all to STFU, and GFY. Because I don’t want to have anything to do with you.
For the record STFU and GFY……SHUT THE FUCK UP and GO FUCK YOURSELVES. Succinct, no?