One issue that is extremely distressing in modern society, is the modern lynch mob mentality. If you have an unpopular opinion or don’t “go with the flow,” or are simply said to have done something wrong, you’re guilty, no proof required, no witnesses, they need nothing… essentially you’re guilty until proven innocent. People will try to crush you, cost you employment, attack your family, doxx you and make public your private information, threaten you, and much more.
Worst still, if it comes out that you’re innocent of the claims, no one says they’re sorry, most don’t believe your innocence even if only you have proof of your innocence and there is none of your guilt. Essentially, society has its torches and pitchforks at the ready constantly, always hunting for a perceived monster and when they can’t find one, they create one or attack one another. It is dangerous, divisive, violent; it is often reminiscent of fascism, totalitarianism, it is the work of a bored mind full of narcissism and self-aggrandizement at the cost of other people.
Today, there seems to be more people and less humanity!
The gang mentality whereas if one person starts onto someone, it will go viral in the attack. Every friend, their friends, friends of their friends, will all jump onto the bandwagon of attacking the individual. If you utilized critical thinking and say, “Hey let’s see if they are guilty of… before jumping to conclusions” well you obviously support whatever they are accused of and are just as evil and must be dealt with accordingly. This is nothing more than childish high school antics on a horrific adult scale!
This is not a partisan issue either, this is not confined to politics either, it is pervasive and has invaded every avenue of life. The modern lynch mob is extremism on a large scale; it’s well-accepted, and often times, highly respected. This child-like mentality can be found among the educated, uneducated, rich, and poor, there is no class of people exempt from this. It is a constant hunt for the next boogeyman, and if you look for anything hard enough, you’re going to find it… or eventually have to create it.
Today, many dismiss proven antisemitism, the world’s oldest hate, but seek to make themselves victims, this is done so that anyone who disagrees with them, is victimizing them, and the lynch mob comes out to their defense. No one wants to be victorious, or a warrior, they all want to be victims who control the mob of sheep bleating and demonizing everyone else en masse.
Better still, facts, figures, and viable proof are damn near dismissed in favor of the feelings of the herd, bringing facts to the table only increases their malignant and maleficence vitriol. Prove one of the mob wrong, and you might as well have used a racial epitaph about their parents, because you will not change their minds, only anger them further. While some might think I’m targeting one group or another, this is too widespread amongst all groups today, to be so shallowly aimed.
Whatever happened to “I disagree with what you said, but defend your right to say it?” Yes, words elicit responses and while free to speak them, we are not free of the ramification of what we say, however, today disagreeing with one small thing someone says, no matter how wrong it is, should not bring out the lynch worthy. The internet was once a free exchange of ideas and information, a place where facts mattered and people could freely express themselves… now it’s become a stifling and tepid puddle of muddied buzzwords, hate, memes pandering to the lowest of reading comprehensions, and misinformation.
I see so many mentally weak individuals with little to no control over their own lives transforming themselves to be a victim, finding their mob, and feeling empowered by knowing that no one dare to disagree with them… this is a mental disorder!
Be wrong once in a while, apologize, learn and grow, stop being what you purport to hate… stop being disempowered and take back your power from the necessity of the mob. We can do so much better than this, we have to do better than this, because it is this exact totalitarian and fascist practice, that rose the Nazis to power. Take responsibility for yourself, for your own thoughts, for being a fallible human being, and don’t fall into the echo chamber of hate and the lynch mob.
If someone genuinely hates, educate them, take in facts and research them, and allow your opinions to change, in the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that!”