I have been blogging for eight years. I have had moderate readership at my first blog, gained immense exposure through Weddingbee, and am starting to get a small but devoted following here at Geek in Heels.
Needless to say, I am no stranger to internet trolls. I have received my fair share of personal attacks and snarky comments over the years. You would think that I’ve gotten used to it by now.
…but I would be lying if I said that it doesn’t hurt.
This past week, in response to My Reasons for Withdrawal, I have been subjected to the following comments:
“stupid bitch”
“a perfect example of the entitlement generation who got a mortgage they couldn’t afford, live in a city that’s too expensive, and continue to leech off us hard-working Americans.”
“welfare whore”
“…poor self-pitying wench…egotistical yuppy dinks thought that they had the finances to live in NYC on one income in a place they really couldn’t afford to begin with….These dinks deserve to lose their home because they have no life experience, think way to much of themselves, were not willing to work hard.”
“[You are] the reason I will never support universal health care.”
The best part is that all these comments were posted to other sites that linked to my story. None of them had the courage, time, or consideration to bash me straight to my face. Yes, I only found them through referring links to my blog.
My reason for writing My Reasons for Withdrawal was to inform my readers of what is going on in my life. That was all. I was, and still am not seeking pity. It was not an attack on the U.S. healthcare system. And it certainly was not meant to arouse so much anger.
The power of anonymity that the internet offers can be scary at times. South Korea, one of the world’s most wired countries, is even considering enacting a “Choi Jin Shil law” after the famous actress who committed suicide after slanderous comments about her were posted all over the web.
I know that the best reaction against trolls is no reaction. Ignore them, and they will go away. While I admit that this method works in the long run, it still does not quell the initial sting of reading each hurtful comment. It almost makes me want to not write about personal subjects anymore, because there are a lot more scandalous events going on in my life that will certainly provide more kindle for the fire.
It really is a sad world to see so much hate and judgement hurled against strangers, assuming so much without knowing the entire story, and immediately casting out those with differing opinions.
