Like a lot of people, I don't tweet. That is to say, I don't use Twitter. I don't understand it. When I read tweets posted on the internet, like on Facebook, I'm lost as to who is saying what and who is re-posting or re-tweeting. I don't get how you follow people and, if you are one that is followed, how do those people find you? I don't get how, if I were to make a tweet, where it would go. Twitter, I guess but aren't there like a billion people tweeting at any given moment? It boggles the mind! Well, mine at least.
Anyways, I was reading about a Twitter war between ex-ballplayer, Curt Schilling, and Twitter users who don't like him. Kurt tweeted about his daughter being accepted at some college I never heard of, where she'll play softball. She's a pitcher like her dad. Curt had an impressive career, winning over 200 games and striking out over 3000 guys and earning 3 World Series rings. He put up Hall Of Fame numbers but, so far, has failed to make the HOF cut. Schilling says this is because he's an outspoken republican. And you know how in an Obama-ruled, socialist, fascist, Islamic state like America, the guy is lucky to even be allowed to breathe....
Anyway, Schilling's simple tweet about his daughter brought out some very nasty trolls. People were tweeting about wanting to rape his daughter. Lots of disgusting stuff. Beyond trollish. No good excuse for it. No good excuse whatsoever.
No real good excuse for him mentioning his daughter on Twitter either, actually.
I'm not blaming the victim here. I'm maybe blaming her dad though.
If you've already been in twitter feuds with trolls because of your politics, why go on the same venue and mention your daughter? Is that a smart thing to do? It seems like more of a Facebook thing, something you do among friends rather than strangers and enemies.
It reminded me of a poster on Topix who frequently makes disparaging posts about other people's children, then makes posts about his autistic son...and is outraged when people make disparaging comments about his kid. Yep, the same guy who has gone into excruciatingly detail about him and his wife's extramarital swinging, Yep, that guy. He wants people to know about his autistic son but is offended and surprised when they post about it.
Sounds a bit of a set-up to me. Whereas the Topix poster is an attention whore with no apparent purpose, I think Curt Schilling is an attention whore with an eye on a political future. Being a victim fighting back will get him a bit of attention....
It's a seemingly odd avenue of approach for a republican. Their response to, for example, black folks getting harassed by the police is, "If you don't want to get harassed by the police, stop looking guilty!"
Um, if you don't want creepy trolls saying they're going to ass rape your daughter, don't post anything about your child to those creeps. Ya think?
Well, some might counter, this is America and Schilling has a right to tweet about his kid and he didn't actually ask for those comments in return. That's true.
But, Black people walking down the street are not asking to be harassed by the police either. See what I did there? Why should Blacks or Schillings adjust their activities to circumvent the responses of others?
Well, they should and they should not. Republicans are big on personal responsibility and how it applies to tens of millions of people but, when it comes to their own, individual very personal responsibility, they just can't always manage that and, worse, don't think they should. Others should adjust to them. Look at abortion. If they don't want one, they shouldn't get one....
If you're Curt Schilling and you're an arch conservative republican regularly fighting with people on the internet about your politics, maybe you should leave your family out of that venue at least. Wouldn't that make sense? There's always your Facebook page, the one with friends and family on it.
What do you want to bet that Schilling runs for some office in the next year or so? He's working on that following, it seems, testing the market of outrage. And we know he's a family man! That always helps.
2 comments:
Schilling made a point in his blog post and in interviews to say a) how internet savvy he is, and b) how he's had a lot of problems with trolls. But he also claims this is about him protecting his daughter. Well yeah....AFTER the fact. After he exposed her to what he already knew was a threatening environment and let those assholes know where she'd be spending her next four years. Since some of the tweets were from boys at that school, how scared will she be now? Great start to her college career, thanks to good ol' Dad.
I feel horrible for her but her dad did a stupid, stupid thing. And you're right, the same goes for idiots on Topix who give out tons of personal information and post pictures of their kids then complain that people are trolling them. Maybe one day he'll figure out the calls are coming from inside the house, so to speak. It's so easy for certain people to post nasty and then point the finger at the people he's been conditioned to hate. He's easy that way.
I totally agree on all counts! I did read about some of the tweets being from boys at her new school which is going to make for an awful environment for her.
He'll get in the Hall Of Fame based on his numbers but it does seem like his mouth is delaying things. There's republicans in the HOF. They don't note such things on the plaques but, Nolan Ryan comes to mind.... Schilling seems like he likes to provoke people.
Yep, the same whiner on Topix habitchually posts about other people's children, as do his friends. The strange bedfellows of social media...
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