I’d Rather Hang Out in an Echo Chamber

Being a veteran of social media for the past 16 years, I’ve run into so many different types of people. I used to think that Jim Morrison was right when he sang that “People are strange” in his classic song of the same title. This never became more evident than after I joined and actively participated in social media.

Social media was a lot of fun initially. It was cool to get to know people and interact with them frequently. And to read what they were thinking constantly. My views on this after sixteen years now have definitely changed. It can be exhausting, knowing everyone’s thoughts about every little thing.

While my motives initially were to know more people for business, it quickly became more about actually having friendships with them and making them laugh. I was good at this, even at the beginning.

Fairly soon though, I saw the other side to social media and the downside of knowing so many people. People started finding me who were angry and seemed to only want to argue or debate their beliefs. Not surprisingly, this mainly happened regarding religion and politics.

At some point, debating people who seemed to be rooted in ignorance, anger, and sometimes even hate started taking up quite a bit of my time. I’m not sure why I decided that I needed to become an educator of the masses, but I started feeling this way. I’d go rounds with people online and suddenly hours started passing instead of minutes. This became unacceptable to me.

I never felt wonderful after trying to set someone straight about why their views were shitty and unfair to all groups of people. After standing up for the marginalized groups about issues that affected them more personally, it became clear that not all of my countrymen and women felt as I did. The disagreements were often numerous and heated.

I am not one to back down to anyone if I feel that I’m standing up for the rights of all. I can remember one day, in particular, I was arguing with somebody online about why Donald Trump was such an ignorant, angry, racist, and bigoted fuck, and they laid this one on me:

“You like the comments from your friends who agree with you, but don’t like the comments from the Pro-Trump people. You’re just like hanging out in an echo chamber!”

I thought about that for a minute. I gave myself a few minutes to analyze and consider their point of view. I DID only like comments that supported my side of the online debate. I quickly realized one thing: They’re absolutely damn right.

We finally had something to agree about. And I told them that they were right. But not without explaining exactly why they were right. Time to drop some knowledge on them.

I explained that they were correct. As it relates to politics, you’re damn straight I’d rather hear similar views to my own and agree with them all. Because I know they’re right. You cannot convince me otherwise.

I will never believe someone who tries to explain why Donald Trump is some intelligent, shrewd businessman who was the greatest president we’ve ever had. I’ve read too many political articles and seen too many hours of interviews and political coverage to believe that crap. I’ve also watched far too few of hours of Fox News in order to be influenced by Kyle from Parma, Idaho, and his ramblings and conspiracy theories about the greatness of the MAGA movement.

This is the same fellow who thinks the media is bought and paid for by the Deep State. The same people who think that Obama, Hillary, Biden, and other Democrats are pedophiles, and are kidnapping and sacrificing small children and infants to the Devil. Inside pizza parlors in various locations across the country. Try that one on for size.

Kyle also believes that ALL Lives Matter (they do, but that’s not an intelligent counterpoint to the purpose of the Black Lives Matter movement), that the police department is always right, and that liberal people want to bring an end to our nation as we know it. He also thinks that we need to finish building the wall and get Mexico to pay for it.

He believes that abortion should be illegal across the board and that if a woman loses her life giving birth, that’s God’s Will. He also thinks that having a rapist’s baby is a noble thing that a woman can do to make the best out of a shitty situation. He will tell you that being gay is a choice, one that leads the LGBTQ citizen straight to Hell.

Because his Bible tells him so. Because out of thousands of other religions, many of which pre-date Christianity, his religion is the ONLY true one. Everyone else is wrong. Everyone else who disagrees with him is heading to Hell. If he gets angry and worked up enough about this, he might just go shoot up a grocery store, concert, or a Pride rally.

He is easily able to do this because of his “God-given right” to own assault rifles. He sees nothing wrong with the number of mass shootings that happen in the United States every few days or weeks. He’s quick to blame anyone with a better tan them himself (he uses SPF 50 in the sun).

He conveniently doesn’t comment when almost every mass shooter is committed by a mediocre white man. He doesn’t consider them domestic terrorists, just crazy people, blaming their mental health. But he’ll send along his thoughts and prayers to the families before clicking on his next idiotic Tucker Carlson or Alex Jones video in his mother’s basement.

And therein lies my problem with debating on social media at this point in my life. I am unwilling to listen to the other side’s debate if it involves them trying to explain why their racist, bigoted, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic views are superior to mine. Because I know they’re not.

I don’t care what you heard on Fox News. I’ve watched Faux News and it’s the biggest load of horseshit I’ve ever wasted time listening to. Normal, rational news channels don’t have to yell and scream to get their points across. They do not need to whip their viewers into an angry, emotional frenzy to get them to buy into what they’re reporting. Fox News and the channels like them do have to use this tactic because the stuff they report is idiotic.

They prey on the fears and ignorance of the unintelligent. Their target demographic is those who weaponize their religion of Christianity and pick and choose the parts of their holy book that support their hateful and exclusionary viewpoints. I have no respect or time for people who allow themselves to be suckered into such things without using logic and intelligent thought.

Absolutely, I’d rather discuss and debate with intelligent people. Not every liberal Democrat thinks exactly alike about all issues we face in our country. It’s wonderful to intelligently discuss our similar viewpoints as well as the things we differ about. I never have to worry about another Dem typing in all caps, “LET’S GO BRANDON!”, “FUCK JOE BIDEN!”, or “SCIENCE AND FACTS ARE BULLSHIT!”.

As a person who holds kindness, empathy, and good manners in the highest regard, I refuse to debate anyone else online anymore about the things I hold near and dear to my heart. I will not engage in some long diatribe with anyone spouting their support for racism, bigotry, sexism, homophobia, or xenophobia. Those of us who abhor those things are on the right side of history. If you support those ideas, you are NOT.

I will skip reading the comments on political news articles. I don’t need a front-row seat to witness ignorance. I see enough of it from my social media sites full of people who mainly live in my very red, right-wing state. That’s a big part of why Medium is now my preferred social media venue over Facebook and Instagram. I don’t miss them much, if at all.

I have far more productive things to do with my time than to attempt to persuade others to be decent human beings. I’ve saved hundreds of hours in 2022 by choosing to NOT debate politics and religion with the many ignorant people who feel emboldened to spout their hateful, ignorant rhetoric.

If I choose to live in an echo chamber at this stage of life, so be it. I’d rather hear the repetitive, kind, and motivating words of those who want better lives for all decent people in our country. It beats the shit out of hearing the ignorant, conspiracy theory-driven, hateful words that so many conservative “Christian” Trump supporters want validation for.

So no, I will not LIKE your comments or anyone else’s about your love and support of Donald Trump. Anyone who believes the bullshit he’s constantly spewing out of his big, dumb mouth needs to educate themselves. Move along, you’re not getting any support for your racist and bigoted views from me, Kyle.