Making a moral case for blocking

Clearly theres nothing personal about an online attack on you by people who dont know you personally at all Do you flick it like dust off your shoulder mdash dignifying nothing with a defenceresponse respecting every randos freedom of speech insteadDesi starscelebrities do that when up against faceless faulaads acting familiar These embodiments of soft power which only means soft target hide inside ratholes because they have much or many fans to lose Public shaming against them comes with dire threats of professionaleconomic ruinThey sit scared Because thats how individuals are muted inside ghettos by mobs with sardars lording over them Of which FacebookTwitterYouTube etc can become online versions with selfstyled keyboard warriors hiding behind amorphous flagcommunityideology and other fake binaries developed to annihilate free thinkingWhat do regular Rameshes like me do Instantly place a counterpoint to the detractor over who is the bigger dufferhypocrite after all Because thats what these slanging matches on social media are about anywayNet result is upping of temperature with no hope of either side cooling down Arguments stem from a position of belief We can engage with facts not beliefs Especially when ones identity online is solely based on it Theres nothing to learn Youd change your mind mdash only if it was active rather than outsourced Also notice that with moohboli dushmani on social media mdash there is no sorry no thank you only f youChalo phir what to do Id say block abusers and handles that dont treatwish you well mdash as the absolute first and not the final resort In the same way that youd instantly run the other way with a similar person in true life mdash instead of talking to them still Block block block day in and day out Because it is then easier to ignore mdash which foremost equals selfcare You owe it to yourselfBut we fit ourselves into a bubble then No look around the bubble already exists We save it from bursting by unnecessarily bloating up We also reduce the size of other bubbles pumped with poison But thereafter forced to blabber and bump into self aloneFor you only troll the pointperson you hate Which is subconscious admission of the fact that you deeply care Surely it doesnt feel good to be blocked as a human being by another you cared enough to mentally hurt Is this response similar to celebrities post social media rendered impotent by their love for fame realising that millions apparently hate them among the same masses they work their butts off to pleaseHow does this blocking sit well with the freedom of speechexpression FoE argument though By the fact that FoE is a democratic tool to empower the feeble mdash against the actually mightypowerful FoE loses its meaningpurpose if misused to makecreate foes among private citizens by private armies mdash seeking accountability for their speech mdash but leaving alone therefore in the same minute the establishment for their overtcovert movesAccepting innuendoesinsinuations from news but demanding journalistic accuracy from fiction Potentially ending up in jail for punching up mdash at heavily protected judgespoliticians mdash but becoming famous for punching sideways at unarmed fellow nationals Blocking that relentless distracter frees the clouded space online to see the horizonsystemdemocracy clearerIn any case without an exception everyone advocates free speech Most of us fail the test if the speech is somebody elses What about hatespeech Is it part of free speech Has to be How else will you know a YouTuber or minister for exactly howwhatwho they arefeel And that you can never look at them beyond it forUnless of course there is a direct instruction being issued for marked physical violence In which case it isnt speech at all mdash only causaleffect evidence for a committed crime You report Rather than share share sharehellip Acting on impulse only widening the supply for hate because all groups display a negativity bias creating Streisand Effect on the Internet Immorally calling attention to a bloke who you should have personally blockedThere is at present little incentive in being a moderating influence from any end mdash in terms of likes followers comments and retweets Todo phodo ban them screw you and I speak the truth you sold out soulless pieces of shit mdash thats more fun rewarding and a rampantly chargedup exercise for dulled brainsTakes the sharpness of Gandhi to make passive resistance and nonviolence look sassy And if the Mahatma was alive he would indeed get trolled incessantly For Gods sake he was shot dead for his views So who are you and who am I And what good is my and the haha Tried it failedWhere does that leave desi nonpoliticianactivists online Mediaartentertainment folk will share their work and leave Gated wall is the future of social media for the public figure WhatsApp group is sorted haven for the intellectually aligned For the working professional LinkedIn mdash where a deputy general manager or executive assistant has something to lose mdash is the future of Twitter Rest can carry on with cat videos Its the only thing human about social media anywayMayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass culture He tweets mayankw14Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news