Enough with the bullying

I unfollowed a public figure yesterday for creating a Facebook mobbing.

I really don’t like those angry pile-ons … they’re the virtual equivalent of medieval witch hunts. Mob mentality grips the online villagers, they all grab their pichforks and ATTACK.

In this case, it was because a comedian called Tanya Hennessy posted a meme that said:

You would have thought it was a perfectly innocuous meme, but some prickly people got their outrage on and said she was “victim blaming” people with chronic illnesses and sprouting “dangerous rhetoric”.

Really?

Tanya was pretty shaken by the backlash. She initially wrote: “I just want to say – I am sorry if sharing this post hurt anyone in anyway. I am so sorry. I feel awful reading about people’s chronic issues and illnesses. Please know my intent was – “this is me, a workaholic who needs to make sure they have a break or they will physically break down”. I know that’s not how it may have been read to some. But know – I would never ever be cruel or victim shame anyone with an illness – ever. People who have commented here have valid experiences and I didn’t mean to take away or undermine those. I always want to learn and understand more. All my love.”

Later, she posted a message saying “I’m gunna have a break from this page for a bit.”

As I scrolled through the comments trying to understand the controversy, someone wrote: “Bullies often bully because they are jealous of how well others handle their own lives.”

I doubt that the outraged commenters thought they were being bullies, but that’s the effect their mobbing actions had – they aggressively intimidated another person.

Blimey there’s a lot of bullying in modern society. Bullying in the playground, bullying in the workplace, bullying on social media.

I find it very disturbing that people are so intent on tearing others down. How do they go to sleep at night knowing they’ve damaged another person’s mental health with their words and actions?

I’m also over people taking offense at absolutely EVERYTHING these days.

Anyways … Soapbox rant over … yesterday sent my stress levels through the roof. My dud car went in for its final under-warranty service and they discovered … AN OIL LEAK!!!

I have only been moaning to them about my car guzzling too much oil for, oh, at least three years.

Also the right indicator light is stuffed.

But they’ve promised to fix both things before the warranty expires, which is unexpectedly awesome.

They also only told me the car was ready for pick up at 4.30pm, just as the new electrician arrived to get the rundown on what needs to be done. There is A LOT that needs to get done, so I was very panicked as I showed him around. There was a slightly unhinged air about me.

Mainly because I needed to somehow get to the service centre by 5pm and then get the youngest to skipping at 6pm (and had promised to pick up another team member on my way through).

Fortunately Elvis turned up in his civvies to give the electrician the official tour and offered me a lift to the service centre.

Bless him. So I got my first ride in the Elvismobile. You know how Elvis Presley had blue suede shoes? Well Elvis the carpenter has a blue shiny ute, with a white-jumpsuit-clad Elvis hanging from the rear vision mirror.

Despite him averting single mum scheduling mayhem, it still took about an hour for my jangling nerves to calm down.

The electrician is back at 7am this morning and I will do my best to give a better impression of not being a woman on the verge.

Better go and practice …

Song of the day: Elvis Presley “Blue suede shoes”