Haters

“Why,” Ellen asked me in an email this weekend, “are you such a hardass censor? Elon is a beacon right now, and you’re showing your silly Boomer hangups. Is your blog a free speech site, or are you just turning it into a giant echo chamber? So tired of your stupid ‘DELETED’ comments.”

It’s true. Musk just allowed Donald Trump back on Twitter, forgiving him for trying to overthrow democracy by denying an election result. It’s also true oodles of public platforms (like Reddit) let people scribble almost anything. Also true that every corner of social media these days is rife with ad hominems, unchallenged conspiracy theories, hate talk and F-bombs.

So what’s my problem, says Ellen? “What makes this place special?””

Fair question. I shall answer.

First, a few examples of comments you have not seen published, because I nuked them. On Friday we mentioned the new issue of risk-free Government of Canada bonds which will flow all proceeds to rebuilding Ukraine. That sparked dozens of comments like the one below from people who bought into a pro-Russian, anti-Biden, pro-Trump, anti-Ukraine conspiracy theory that took off a week ago. It has been utterly debunked, but that didn’t stop Rick from trying to post this:

The total contribution to the Ukraine government from the U.S. alone this year is ninety billion dollars. Most of that has not gone to the long suffering Ukrainian people but has been siphoned off by corrupt officials to off shore bank accounts and been invested in FTX.
FTX has in turn fed the fund to the Democratic party. The government of Ukraine is one of the worlds most corrupt, authoritarian countries. Why would anyone invest in Ukrainian bonds?

The US has given aid totaling $18.3 billion, not ninety. Most has been in the form of hardware, not cash. None went to FTX, which Ukraine briefly used to convert crypto gifts into hard currency for weapons. It’s 100% bogus, yet flying around the Internet unchecked. Except here.

Then last week we touched on real estate and immigration. News that newcomers will total 500,000 in 2025 has been too much for the xenopbobes and others who would turn away everyone if it made their own lives easier. So much blind hate, such as Adam tried to express here:

Garth that day will come when Blood and Honour will wait at the Pearson terminal and give a welcome party to the Pakis with a hail of lead and smoke.
There are too much of them here in Canada. We should be reducing the population of brown people to save the earth

Also vitriolic over the past months have been ten anti-vaccine crowd, emboldened and legitimized (in their minds) by the support Pierre Poilievre gave the so-called Freedom Convoy that occupied Ottawa last winter. I delete or ghost them all. Selfishness and cowardice should not be celebrated, and the federal Conservatives must understand there was a reason 85% of Canadians willingly supported public health and saw the truckers as lawless thugs.

Then, this note from Josh a few days ago:

Give me $50,000,000 and liquidate your clients’ portfolio. You love your Dorothy don’t you?

The cops have that one. So does the cyber-threats team of my corporate partner. But, of course, the name is fake. The IP is a redirect. Just like this note of a few days earlier:

As a bully, you should really be careful who you pick a fight with and sick your puppies on- asshole. When it is dark and you leave your office, keep looking around, you may get a surprise.

Now, why would I say this? Because you are a bully and you pick fights and then you do not have the stomach to take it. You are an asshole – but then you know that.

This, Ellen, is why all the comments published on this blog are moderated. It’s why so many are never published, quietly scrubbed or sometimes labelled as deleted. Social media is corrupted, awash in unbridled prejudice and anger, reflecting the vulgarity and shallowness of our times. It all gets worse when populist politicians seek to tap into the sewer stream, amplifying and broadening public ignorance for the glory of themselves.

I spent years as a journalist, daily newspaper columnist, editor and TV talking head. Now we’ve lost the fact-based filter of mainstream media, replacing it with rumour, gossip and manipulation. Gone is commonality and a shared experience of absorbing or watching ‘the news.’ Instead, everybody can dwell in their own online box, hearing what they want, believing what they know, confirming what they feel and yelling that everything else is ‘fake’. This balkanization may be the most dangerous thing about our world. For example, 70% of Republicans are convinced Biden is not a legitimate president. Already this led to an insurrection. Do not take it lightly.

My well-exercised, nicely-sculpted delete finger cannot improve the world nor make the haters disappear. But it can keep one tiny, insignificant sliver of this space less odious.

About the picture: “Jude is my LabraDane rescue who carries a lot of anxiety over things as small as falling leaves  and vacuum cleaners,” writes LeeAnn. “His litter was abandoned on a reserve in Manitoba before making their way to Calgary’s ARF. When not fleeing from loud noises, Jude is my gentle giant and best friend in Nanaimo.  (Even on a beach walk you can see anxiety on his face.) Thank you for your wisdom, integrity, and the hope which you share daily with your readers. Feel free to use Jade’s photo.”