Time To Flush The Twitter...

 I was a relatively late-comer to Twitter.  I mean, I'm always behind the cool kids, er, kewl kidz, when stuff like that shows up.  I think I was about ten minutes after reading something Wil Wheaton put up about Twitter that I signed up - and Wil was pretty new on it too.

And I hung around that cesspit for far too long.  I was there when the gamer boys decided that it was absolutely verbotten that girls come into the clubhouse, er, as in, play video games, and all the shit that flowed downhill from that, I looked at Twitter, I reviewed the list of people whom I followed.  About 60% of those whom I followed were family and friends, about 25% were celebrities, and there were a few I followed just because I felt I needed to remain up to date about various things.  And there were a few informative tweat-streams.

But as I continued to follow stuff on that site, I noticed that every time I visited, and reviewed what was happening, I got off the site feeling less confident about myself, my abilities, my decency, and my overall mental well-being.  I felt that I was in a room with a bunch of people surrounded by bullies, thugs, jerks, and general people - those surrounding the core - that I did not want to be near.  In any way.  

Each day, there was at least one thread of "oh, dipshit #47 said/did/was caught doing" and "[Todays_Target] did..."  And I'm not a big fan of celebrity gossip.  Look, I don't know any movie stars, famous people, or well-known people.  And if I did, you're damned right I'd lie to you right here and tell you I didn't because, let's face it, if they are good and decent people and they're willing to be known as an associate of mine, well, that's the sort of damage I wouldn't want to do to any good, decent people.  

What?  Or as in "Now what is that yammerhead on about?"  I have been extraordinarily fortunate in my life.  I have relatives who were or are pretty spectacular.  I had one uncle who was a Fortune 500 CEO of a firm where he started out on the production floor, and busted his butt.  I have an uncle who happens to have been a heck of an artist, and chose to draw funny cartoons.  And he happened to know some other pretty famous cartoonist, because he hired the famous fellow.

My father published a number of books about local history where I grew up.  So yeah, he's kinda famous.  I know a pretty spectacularly talented musician.  I have had the best of luck becoming personal friends with a lot of people whom I happen to think are pretty great people with one terrible flaw - they know me.  

But I don't generally go around rubbing elbows with famous people.  I'm just not that talented, fortunate, or willing to trade on a relationship we might have to make me look better.  I'm just a schlub who gets along, lives paycheck to paycheck, would really like to win the lottery because it would then allow me to sleep a little later each day, get up when I'm damned good and ready, and then do what I want, like, especially, pay off all of my debts and go found a place that takes care of forgotten, abandoned, or otherwise "excess" animals - and people - because that's what a decent man would do.

I want to do that not because I want to pretend to be a decent man.  I want to do that because some day, when I get to hop into the canoe of destiny and head over the final falls, I'd like to leave a little bit behind that would comfort my family and friends to know that I was capable of making a good, positive difference in this world.

Which was, in many ways, what I saw was needed when I saw twitter circling the drain.  And so I hopped off that thing long about 2011 or so.  And that was way back before anyone ever thought of considering a dickhead reality TV star as a potential politician.  But you know all about that river of shit.  

So yes, I do not get to go running to a browser or app to see what the latest dipshit of the day is doing on Twitter.  And I do not, for a moment, mistake Twitter as some place that is or should be considered any sort of authority on anything other than abuse.  I do not think that all the hubbub - er, that is, the floating turds - that encircle Elon Musk are worth monitoring.  Musk is sadly more a clown with a cash card, and less someone who might make a positive difference in the world.  

Sure, I thought that perhaps Tesla might become a game changer, and maybe he could make a real difference in outer space, and ... well, let's just say that the sooner someone like Musk comes to understand the responsibilities that come along with freedom of speech, well, I'll probably be dead, buried, and a long way towards dust.  

We need to acknowledge, sooner rather than later, that Free Speech is not the right of any and every mouth to blurt out what ever roars through it's rapidly shrinking brain.  Freedom Of Speech requires that responsible individuals are held responsible for what it is that they say.  If, for example, some buffoon yells "fire" in a crowded theater, that buffoon should be held responsible for the people who died in the stampede out the door.  Just the same as a gunman who starts shooting in a crowded theater should be held responsible not only for those who died after he shot them but those who were injured, or died, in the rush to escape that environment.  Just the same as the folks who enabled the gunman to obtain the firearm in violation of countless laws as the gunman was already convicted of other crimes and was not legally able to purchase said gun. 

But let's be absolutely crystal clear.  We need to hold people who say things on Twitter responsible for what it is they said, when it encourages other people to do things that no sane, intelligent person would, if they hadn't been encouraged and lied to about it.  I mean, it's not like we've got a measly 240 or so years of history under our belts as a democratic republic - as has been said rather famously by our founding fathers, a democracy such as ours is a fragile, delicate, and easily disrupted form of a society.  If people stop taking seriously their responsibilities, well, then we end up with daft clowns and dangerous fools occupying those positions where we will undoubtedly discover they've done far more damage than we might be able to imagine or comprehend.  

Such as the possible situation where a genuine threat to our democracy is encouraged, by his children, to forment a rebellion, bring forth a coup, and try to overthrow the will of the people.  And when that sort of danger is willing to lie about the situation to encourage those who believe him to aid in the overthrow, well, let's stop right there.

That's when the whole "freedom of speech" thing starts to pose a danger.  I do support everyone's right to say what ever they wish to say.  I also support everyone's absolute responsibility to be held accountable for that which they do say.

For a rather pointed example, as a young man, in school, I was confronted with a real ugly situation.  Several of my friends had been caught doing something that kids just weren't supposed to do at school.  And because they were caught, it was their rather immediate need to bring others down the drain with them.  As they formed their plan to bring others into trouble who were not involved in the events they conducted, I stood up to them.  I told them that if they intended to try to drag us all down, I would speak not only to those who were evaluating the situation and determining consequences, I would go to their parents, all of whom knew me, and tell them exactly what had gone on.  I would explain that it was entirely my fault I failed to encourage them to stop doing the things they were caught doing, because when they started, I said point blank that this was a bad, terrible, no-good idea, and we needed to stop and move on from this before it caused even more damage - and then I did exactly what I had told them I would do, and I stepped back away from their rather stupid fun.  Sure, I had some regrets that I didn't see events P, Q, and R, but I also didn't have to worry about being hurt, or caught.  I have this terrible thing called a conscience.  I really didn't want to end up a bad example, because, well, I guess I believe all that stuff about you being the product of your own actions.  And I believed deeply in being responsible for the actions I do, and those actions reflecting not only on me, but on all of those around me, those who raised me, those who will follow my example, and those who will, some day, remember me.  

I'd much rather be forgotten totally than remembered for my worst day.  I'd much rather be thought of as a schlub than as a really successful guy if it required that I abuse my way up the food chain.  I'm not going to make someone else miserable so I can look good.  That's not the way I want to live my life.  I would much rather miss the occasional funny moment if it means I can sleep well, comfortably, and not worry about the karma I may have earned because I was able to cheat a few dozen people.  

I have too much respect for myself, and for other people.  And I guess that, down here at the bottom, is why I left Twitter, and will not be sad to see it disappear.  It's a little too focused on the "look at me" part of the exercise, having totally neglected the "why" or the "are you worthy of respect?"  

If you wish to continue to take part in that ... mess, well, that's on you.  You get what you get.  If you can live with yourself, good on you.  Don't expect me to grant your opinion any magical weight because, oh, it appeared in a tweetstorm.  Noise is.  Respect is earned, and it's awfully easy to lose or toss away.  It's a lot like virginity.  No matter what it says on the bottle of potion, it's not coming back.  Gone is gone.