Why must we be so mean? I know I am at times, but unless warranted, I do not tear into a loved one with such cruelty. We take things out on other humans like our play toys, sadistically taking our anger and frustrations of our own doing out on other unsuspecting friends, family and strangers. It’s a mean game we play. A lot of us are hardwired to continue to burn bridges if we’re already feeling down on ourselves or experience failure of any degree, to which we take to the highest degree and simply spread it around like a flamethrower.

Anyone approaching you to say good morning or a significant other who wants to make you feel better. A unsolicited phone call from a relative or friend, or someone passing by on the street smiling. All these unsuspecting people we all take things out on if and when they approach us. We don’t understand the repercussions of making someone else feel bad. How they will take that on during their day/ week, as you did and turn it into negative energy, and rip apart someone else later on, as you did to them. They don’t understand the spiderweb of consequences. Those people go home to people who have to handle and put them back together after you’ve put them into a poor mood. Your mood, affects theirs, and their friend’s and loved ones who they spend most of their time with. While you on the other hand, do not. You only see the barista you tear into for 2 minutes and you get to leave. Their shift doesn’t end for another 4 hours, and they go home and take it out on someone else or internalize it in various ways people do. It’s a giant cascade of anger.

These things work in positive ways too, if you make someone feel good, they’ll take that with them throughout their day internally, or externally as well. We don’t always think of it this way, we don’t usually think of it at all. If we did a bit more, people might feel better. We also don’t think about what we’re about to say, we speak our minds far too much these days. The internet, cell usage and the like create an environment where we can all share our opinion or spew vitriol and never answer to the consequences. We never have to hear the hurt we’ve caused. We can ignore and avoid the rhetoric and controversial conversation we’ve caused. It’s all on a screen, therefore easier to do as we don’t have to listen to the person’s voice, or see another person crying. We never have to apologize, we never have to answer for false accusations, hateful and provoking comments. Nobody is ever held accountable. But yet it’s all we talk about now.

We have this conversation in pop culture now about free speech. Can you really say something hurtful, slanderous, libelous, if it’s on the internet for public consumption? Especially when you have a far reaching audience and influence? We quarrel over this decision as if it’s any different than as it has in published writings. Arguably it’s longer-lasting and so much more vast than a newspaper article that I can’t fathom that it’s not illegal to spread such hate. We let this happen. We did this, and the worst part is, we’re so overwhelmed suffering from media fatigue, that we simply do not care. We scroll past. We can’t be bothered to read through an entire article or watch an entire news story, never mind question the ethics of it. If we all collectively sat down, and focused on this for a day, we could all agree hate speech is wrong. On a public forum, it is wrong. Hate is something to be condemned and shamed.

We only entered World War two when we were attacked, and did not enter the European Front until we realized hate was winning. Europe could not do it alone. We used to fight hate. We used to stand for freedom. This is all getting a bit too patriotic and preachy, but hate extends into suppression, and lack of freedom. The irony, is most people I’ve known who hate, or groups that hate, call themselves religious, or patriots. Many of them claim they have the country’s interest’s at heart. Or they twist their particular religion to their own hateful views. These are the worst types of hate, and the worst types of people. Not only hating, but using a tool based in freedoms, love and understanding, and using them as curtains and shields to protect themselves and hide behind. Thus creating victims of this hate to turn and detest their religion, detest their culture and the curtains they use to hide behind, instead of the individuals themselves. It’s a fascinating thing.

Circling back, when did we descend into a hateful community, country and time? Who did this? Were we influenced? Did they win? When? What happened? What happened to banding together, is it even possible? What happened to us?

To get personal: Don’t tear your siblings down over a text message. She’s done more for you, me, your mother, father, the world and community, than you have done for any single person, ever. You selfish little shit.