A sad trend on Facebook

[madfilkentist]

Recent years have seen a huge move away from openness and willingness to face ideas that are different. It's not just the left; the election of Trump wasn't a defeat for political correctness, but an affirmation of the Republican brand of intolerance

Comments

[katyhh]

I think you are missing what was the core reason for most people to wander off to a different group... not wanting to be aggressively trolled by someone who really didn't give a damn about the community but actually enjoyed the conflict . It was not about any of the songs posted or about different opinions. It was about some people saying on many levels 'I don't care about you or your feelings' and it was simply the wrong time for that, many people simply did not want to deal with insults or trolling at this time of year, and since the group owner did not understand that but hit the same nerve, folks left or blocked the annoyed. It should even out.

[madfilkentist]

What constitutes "trolling" will differ from one person to another. Some cases are pretty clear (like the person who broke into accounts to claim I was dead), but I've noticed that a lot of people these days consider any expression of disagreement with their views trolling, as if no one could really disagree with them.

The classic techniques for dealing with trolls work well - ignoring and blocking. They're better than building a walled community to feel "safe." I really don't know whether my own troll has gone away from rec.music.filk, or is just totally blocked and ignored.

[hms42]

Thank you for the explanation of what caused the problem in there. I had missed it and only joined the new group to make sure I do hear what is going on from the filk community. (Filker was my main reason for getting on that service. I did not need another time sink.)

[nancylebov]

I haven't dealt with the fb group, so I'm just addressing your general point.

There's also a matter of disliking things rather than feeling threatened by them. I was glad that "Have Some Madeira, M'Dear" wasn't in the last Clam Chowder concert.

I don't know whether there's a good general solution, considering how polarized and hostile things have gotten.

[madfilkentist]

What really bothered me wasn't the song but the "madeiraing" ritual. I think I helped to kill it with my criticisms, though my part was small.

[whswhs]

This sort of thing makes me think of animals raised in bacteria-free environments, who have no resistance to anything.

[eintx]

I'm with you there.
I certainly thought that JC was trying to cause trouble (not even in his "Snowflake" post that kind of got it all started, I don't think he expected what happened then, but definitely afterwards), but if the community really were what it believes to be it should have been able to deal with this easily.
In my opinion everybody is entitled to an annoyed reaction and a quarrel, of course, but it depends on what point they are trying to make. And "Ey, we treat each other with loving kindness here, you &%$§* $&%*'&!!!" somehow doesn't sound like a good argument to me.

I don't know if I'm making sense, but I simply think that one has to live up to the standards one demands from others to live up to, or otherwise one doesn't have a right to demand them.
And yes, I would much prefer a general atmosphere of loving kindness in that group and everywhere else, but as it is I don't see that pointing at each other and shouting "He started it!" will help.