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bpcyclist
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Location: Portland
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PC PoohBah!
Default Nov 23, 2019 at 04:03 PM
 
Oh, Buffy, I hate that you are dealing with this. Cyberbullying is the reason I have almost no social media presence. I came to PC quite frankly to save my life. It worked. You guys and gals are my strength. But I do almost nothing else that could be considered social media for just this reason.

There are so many people out there who hide behind anonymous usernames and think that gives them the right to behave in ways they would never in real life. This is what I mean when I say I don't endorse virtually any social media. I think it can often do more harm than good. Just my take.

I have a hobby and there is a quite popular site for folks that share that interest. Massive base of members. I have been on it for quite awhile and I actually amassed the third largest post count on the site. Tens and tens of thousands. Whatever. I contributed a fair bit, if I do say so myself. Recently, the person running the site censored a thread I started because the response to that thread would have made his sponsors angry (this site has tons of ads). So, after more than 200 views, there were miraculously zero responses to this thread on a very hot topic. How about that!!

I did not PM the owner. I did not raise a ruckus. I have principles and one of them is that my country was founded on free speech. Polite and appropriate, but free expression for all. I stopped posting. I PM'd my buddy, who has the most posts. Told him I was done. Deleted everything on my profile. Changed my avatar to a burning black hole. Changed my signature quote to: The best amendment is the first amendment. I logged out and that was that. Forever. 50,000 posts--goodbye!!! Poof!

I guess what I am saying, Buffy, is that sometimes our experiences steer us in a new and different direction. I don't know about your involvement in things like facebook and Insta-whatever and Snap-whoever. But if you feel you are being bullied, maybe it is time to take another look at what you can control. There are jerks on the internet, we know this. You and I cannot, unfortunately, control that. What we can control is our participation in some of these things. Maybe it's time for you to reevaluate what you really want to do with respect to all that.

Sending you positive vibes and support. It sucks. But maybe taking some action will help empower you. I often find that when I feel most vulnerable and helpless, action can get me out of it. And then, you might feel like you have more control. All the best--

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When I was a kid, my parents moved a lot, but I always found them--Rodney Dangerfield
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