‘Bad’ and ‘Good’ Paraplegia
February 27, 2013
In all the years I was a staff writer, I never wrote about myself. Now I discover you have to brace yourself for a bit of online heckling with a side helping of ill will. Messages include, “wanker!”, “dickhead!”, “ass!”, and “asshole!” (the latter two from the same person). I’ve also had messages intimating that I should have been left to die.
Then there’s an interesting strand of comment that seeks to separate ‘good’ accident victims from ‘bad’ ones. The former are people who fell off ladders while inoculating the sick and needy in war-torn countries, the latter are people like me. I’m reminded of those who separate ‘good’ AIDS sufferers (children and people who acquired it through heterosexual activities) from ‘bad’ (anyone gay or using IV drugs). I remember when Chris Morris satirised this concept on Brass Eye. And having witnessed the demise of someone in the latter category, I struggle not to feel contempt for the people who make these distinctions.
Overall, I don’t feel deterred. I was a bit taken aback about it yesterday, partly because I was worried that all the negative assessments of my character were bang-on accurate. Now I think, oh well, never mind. I’ve got friends, family, somewhere to stay, scope for getting better both physically and mentally, some degree of a sense of humour. I am grateful and fortunate.
It is easy for cowards to attack somebody on the Internet. People behave differently, when they are behind a computer. They feel they are empowered to attack other’s with a different point of view ,to give them a short fix of imagined superiority. I had loads of problems when I ran a fairly popular Internet forum, with the same old people trying to sign up over and over again to cause problems. The best things to do with trolls is to ignore them otherwise they will keep on posting rubbish simply to annoy you.
Some really sad trolls could almost be viewed as addicts to the world of Internet forums. A book called “the Fix” by Damian Thompson touches on these type of things. They are not pleasant people and sadly they a result of the annonimity that exists on Internet forums to a degree.
Thank you for that thoughtful take on troll-related matters! The experience has certainly made me think hard about the times I’ve written something unflattering or uncharitable about someone. C
I think there is a big difference between being unflattering or uncharitable to being deliberately spiteful. However, subjects such as aids or addiction do tend to polarise views compared to other Less controversial topics. Both have stigmas from the way the problems have been reported in the past, especially in the tabloid press. It is important that these subjects are discussed in a free way on the Internet because they are not given enough importance in society as a whole. It will take time for things to change and for treatment methods to reflect the needs of the modern patient but at least the Internet can bring people with similar issues or interests together in a positive way to question the way we deal with issues.