Why is it, when you try to do something good and invite people to participate on social media, the majority you reach out to return nothing but nasty, rude, even hateful comments?
I decided to run an Easter Trivia Contest to promote my blog and maybe gain a few more readers and comments. So, I ran an ad for a week to reach out to as many people as I could.
I
tried to make the ad as cheerful as possible. I explained who I was, what the
contest was for, and the types of prizes awarded. I let everyone know
that there was no cost, no obligation, nothing that would compromise their
pages, websites, or wallets. I had some nice prizes to give away and
promised to pay for the shipping to their homes if they won.
Several people played the game, and many of them tried to guess the answer to the question.
Unfortunately, the majority of the comments I received were far from friendly. Here are a few examples:
Comment #1: NO!!
Comment #2: I'm guessing you're a scammer.
Comment #3: Carried on about how I was a spammer because I was sending ads to people who were not on my friends list and who didn't ask to be bothered with my blog or my contest. So that makes me a spammer.
The rest are far too derogatory to post here, or anywhere for that matter.
Lesson learned. If I EVER advertise anything from my Facebook page, my blog, or any other platform, I will only send it to my contacts and hope they share the posts with others.
When I was younger, I was too sensitive and was easily hurt by sharp or derogatory comments. But no matter what anyone said to me, I didn't retaliate with a hateful or nasty reply because I didn't want to hurt THEIR feelings. My friend called me Edith Bunker because I would cheat to lose in a card game to keep her from feeling bad.
I've grown up since then, matured beyond my delicate emotional nature. I'm still a compassionate person, but I don't take the nonsense anymore. When people push, I push back. I don't get mean or petty; at least I try not to. Sometimes it's hard to hold back the anger or the retaliation. I do my best to remain calm but determined, choose my words carefully, and not sling insults or raise my voice as I forcefully stand my ground and demand things be done the way I need them to be.
Those comments on my Facebook page hurt. I guess I'm still as sensitive as I once was, but I don't understand why people have to react so maliciously to a friendly gesture. I wasn't demanding. I didn't ask for money. I wasn't trying to scam anyone.
The world has become a hateful, spiteful place I no longer understand or like. I was enjoying posting on my blog and communicating with others through the internet, but the last few days have caused me to question if this is the right route for me. Do I want to hear the insults and hateful slurs every day and do my best to portray a kind and caring facade, when what I really want to do is slam back with as much pain and abhorrence as they have slung at me?
Fortunately, that is just not in my nature. I have rarely been that person. I have learned to be forceful when someone wants to push me into a situation I don't want, but to sling filth and guile at anyone is not something that is in me. And I guess that's why I can't understand when someone reacts that way to a simple invitation.
No matter. I will NOT allow these types of people to keep me from doing what I love and pursuing the course I have chosen for my life. I won't argue, degrade, or retaliate with words. I will simply block them from ever commenting on my accounts again and move on without a second thought.
